They went back to Cheongdam Park and sat together at the previous wooden bench. Heechul looked at Sungmin dumbfounded. The smaller male didn’t feel even a tiny bit guilt for making people abused the singer. Heechul had his shirt lost 1-2 buttons which made it revealed the upper part of his bare chest. His blonde hair also was unraveled in mess because a fan took his rubber band as souvenir.

“Kuma-chan is cute, isn’t it?”

Heechul snorted  “You have named it already?”

Sungmin looked at the taller male and instantly blushed noticing his slightly bare chest. He averted his eyes to look back to his stuffed bear while pointing a finger toward Heechul’s shirt “Your ... your shirt’s buttons are... opened” he shyly said.

“Whose fault is that?!!” Heechul retorted again.

Sungmin hugged his stuffed bear and turned his head away from him “There was no other way. The queue was so long and you wanted me to hurry”

“Which made me as the only victim, You heartless punk!! Be ready, I am gonna sue you!!” Heechul scolded him more. “Now, give me my hoodie back!”

Sungmin put the stuffed bear at his left side, as far as possible from Heechul's reach, since the latter might want to bite his Kuma-chan to shreds in his first birthday, then he put off the hoodie and gave it back to the real owner. As he watched Heechul's wearing it, Sungmin pulled his own lip, thinking whether it’s a good time or not to have a serious talk about what happened between them, their past life memories in Jonseong Era.

“Um..., Heechul. Can...can we talk? About.... that day at the ice skating arena”

Heechul inserted his hands into his pockets and leaned to the back-rest “Call me Hyungnim then. If not, don’t ever wish a word would exit from my mouth about that crazy thing”

Sungmin raised his eyebrows and spoke up his protest “Why? You have given me so many nicknames and not even a single of them sound nice at all. While me, I only call you by your name”.

“That’s what people call a privilege for being older, Minnie Bear! I can call you with any name but you can’t”

He placed his stuffed bear on his lap again, hugged it tight, and rested his chin on it’s head “See, Kuma-chan! He even adds another ugly nickname for me. Our ages aren't that far”. His tone sounded like nearly crying which Heechul was sure it was fake. Sungmin pursued his lip more, disliking Heechul’s idea because he thought calling Heechul by his name without any attachment like Hyung or whatever was cute. He even planned to call him Heechulie one day. Just because he had spent most of his life in a very strict yet conservative family, it didn’t mean he couldn’t like cute things, thank you very much.

Heechul looked at Sungmin while gritting his teeth. He really wanted to take out that silly pout of him and buried it somewhere. Because  damn, if it kept continuing like that, he would be ended up losing and losing again.

Screw that.

“What do you want to talk about anyway?”

Sungmin straightened his back and gulped “How much did you remember, about your past life?”

Heechul scoffed lightly “My past life? No. I won't admit it as my past life, Minnie Bear. I never believe reincarnation”

Sungmin felt a little hurt with his statement “But.... I has experienced Queen Min memories and they're felt so real. You can’t say it’s worthless and laugh it off because it’s unreal to you. I... I had pretty much a hard times because of them...”

“I didn’t say it’s not important nor didn’t I laugh at your belief, Min. The memories we had dreamed are not belong to us. Yours is belong to Queen Min and mine is belong to ....“ Heechul let out a quiet groan. He didn’t want to admit it but he had to say it after all so he unwillingly continued “... belong to Lady Heehee”

“But you mentioned about past life too when we met in front of Cho family house”

“Well, at that time my tounge was slipped out”

“What kind of a stupid reason is that?”

Heechul let out a heavy sigh “Okay, Min. Listen. Do you think you resemble Queen Min or not?”

Sungmin hanged his head down and bit his lower lip “Aside with our family background and face, I don’t think we resemble each other”

“Good !! You should think smartly like this everytime we met so my life wouldn’t be shortened by 10 years because of stress. There’s not even a single dust of possibility for someone as chicky, sly, grumpy, idiot, and selfish as you would  resemble someone as beautiful, smart, and tough as Queen Min".

Sungmin’s eyes were sparkling by that compliment “Beautiful?”

“It’s Queen Min, not you! While I and Lady Heehee, we might have the same job as an artist. We’re popular. Having a lot of fans. But I am PRETTIER and not a transgender” Heechul flipped his hair and folded his arms, being full of himself that he’s far better from Lady Heehee.

“But it doesn’t explain why we experienced those memories” Sungmin argued.

Heechul glanced back to Sungmin. The smaller male hanged his head down again and just played his stuffed bear's palms without saying anything. Heechul let out a long sigh. He guessed his effort wasn’t enough to lessen Sungmin’s worry. He wanted to say, to the smaller male, not to be too attached to his past memories. But speaking sweet wasn’t his thing.

“Sungmin, just move on. Those things are not real and not yours. There’s a reason why a baby born with zero memory. For the answer of your first question, I don’t remember Lady Heehee’s memories clearly. Only some fragments and they’re pretty random”

Sungmin huffed weakly “It makes sense” he mumbled.

“What?”

The smaller male turned his face away “Never mind...”. He felt disappointed. He thought Heechul would acknowledge his past life and had a willing to solve their problem together, because there might be some messages in them. But no. It turned up he was the only one who would be repeating his own past. Too many similarities between Queen Min’s life and his. That he couldn’t oppose his family decision. That he, again, would be bound together with Cho Kyuhyun as his shadow for the rest of his life. That he, as stupid as Queen Min, were falling in love with the same person all over again. If those memories came to him as a warning, then they all failed. Remembering all of them would never give him any solutions but evoked an old scar instead.

“Do you want to know the only thing about Queen Min that resembled you?”

Sungmin turned his glance back to Heechul and found the singer was smiling at him “That she was someone whose smile suited her better. Just like you”

Sungmin was stunned. He didn’t need to find a mirror to see how his face flushed that time. It wasn’t cheesy but enough to erase his dismay. Heechul was always best in giving people disease and medicine at the same times. No wonder many people fell to his charm. No wonder he couldn’t ever escape. Those eyes that gave him hope. But it’s only for a moment he was in that reverie as another reality hit him. That this person would never stay on his side. That he was belong to someone else.

“I just remember that I found a silver locket in front of SM building sometime ago. And I believe it’s yours”

Heechul frowned “Silver locket? Ah.... that locket. You can have it. I don’t need it anymore” said him lightly as if it’s not important for him.

“But.... I saw the photos inside. I ... I think one of them is someone who’s ... important to you” Sungmin couldn’t guess if the singer was mad nor annoyed as the latter was only staring at him without words. The atmosphere became awkward. Sungmin was aware that he just put a finger into someone’s privacy “I am sorry. I didn’t know it was yours at first. I didn’t mean—“

“He was someone in the past. A former member of M & D. He left the band four years ago. That’s it” Heechul finally replied. Sungmin’s lip formed a small ‘o’ shape. He nodded slightly as he understood the singer didn’t want to talk about his past.

“What are you planning now? I heard you would become the second royal prince of the country beside Cho Kyuhyun” Heechul changed their topic.

Sungmin shrugged weakly “I am not sure. I know run away would never become the best solution. But the more I know the truth, the harder it feels. Eventhough I want to hold that person’s promise, but still ....”(I am afraid the longer I stay, I’ll become more like Queen Min).

“Who is the person did you mean?” Heechul asked curiously. This time, Sungmin was the one who changed the topic “By the way, tell me your bank account number. I’ll transfer your ₩ 20.000 there”

Heechul scoffed “You can ask Yuri for that”

“You supposed to say don’t mind it and gave it to me for free” Sungmin pouted as the answer wasn’t what he expected.

“You aren’t even a girl. Why should I treat you?” Heechul sticked his tongue  toward the smaller male.

Before he could answer, Sungmin spotted a lot of men in black suit from a far were running in separate ways and some of them were going toward their direction. Sungmin’s eyes bugged out as he stood up in panic because he knew those people were looking for him. Sungmin quickly spinned around to hide behind the bench.

“Yah Minnie Bear! What are you doing?”

“Those people are Kyuhyun’s bodyguards. They’re looking for me” Sungmin whispered from behind.

“You master martial arts. Why don’t you knock them off?”

“I did and because of that Kyuhyun added more of them. If I refused, they would beg me that they still had wife and childs to be fed. They are also stronger now” Sungmin explained. As long as his bodyguards didn’t find him, everything would be safe.

Heechul responded with laugh “Aw, I didn’t know you have such a sweetheart”

“Shut up!!” Sungmin got annoyed. Then he noticed his stuffed bear and skirt were still on the bench. But it’s too late as some of those bodyguards approached Heechul and one of them was Andrew.

“Excuse me, Sir. Do you happen to see a young man with black hair, around this height, passing here?” Andrew asked Heechul. The singer almost let out a laugh when he heard Sungmin, who watched between sidelines of the wooden bench, cursed from behind him ‘I am not that short you son of a !’ when Andrew gestured about his height with a hand.

“This is public park. There’s a lot of man with black hair” Heechul answered with a shrug.

“He’s handsome” Another bodyguard explained more about Sungmin's trait.

“Yes, his eyes are like a fox. He has chubby cheeks. Overall, he looks soft and squishy” A shorter one added.

“I HATE YOU KIKWANG !!!!” Sungmin couldn’t take it anymore, he stood up in an instant glaring to the latter bodyguard. Everyone was startled with Sungmin’s sudden appearance.

“Sir, what are you doing there?” Andrew asked his young master but the latter ignored him and still glared to Kikwang. “How dare you call me FAT!!” he nagged more and even pointed a finger toward him. Heechul laughed out loud and said “Since when you become this sensitive? All he said are compliments. You're not fat, so don't act like a ”

Sungmin stomped his feet back in front of the bench and took back his stuffed bear “I am not going back to that house again EVER !!”

“Sir, please. If you don’t come back, we’re gonna be fired by Mr.Cho. Please give a mercy to us. We still have wife and little kids to be fed” Kikwang tried to persuade him miserably. Others bodyguard nodded except Andrew who looked in puzzle.

“Aren’t you single?” Andrew asked Kikwang in a whisper. The latter whispered back “That’s in our protocol, didn’t you read it? That we have to tell Young Master Sungmin that we have wife and kids whenever he tries to run away”. Andrew widened his eyes as response for the ridiculous protocol.

“Okay. I will go back now” Sungmin said weakly and surrendered “You’re all lucky because I have a good mood today” he said as he walked passed them. But it’s only after a second he said that, he dashed in a light speed with all his might to get as far as possible from them.

“Sir, wait!! Where are you going?!!” Kikwang and other bodyguards who currently there started to chase him and called their other fellow bodyguards to block Sungmin’s way.

Andrew also was going to follow them before Heechul called him “Siwon-shi!”. It’s not even his real name but he didn’t know why he stopped and turned his face to the latter. He called him with the same name just like Sungmin did.

Heechul stood up and smiled to the bodyguard “Please protect Sungmin” he said gently. Andrew kept aside his curiosity about why the singer called him Siwon, instead he answered “Yes, Of course I will. No need to ask”. He smiled back and bowed his head before leaving to chase his master.

~~~~#*SJ*#~~~~

It took hours of playing “Catch me if you can” for those bodyguards to find Sungmin. Sungmin knew he couldn’t win against tens of those well-trained men alone from beginning, but at least he wouldn’t make it easy for them, he thought.

Inside their car, Sungmin gave Kyuhyun a silent treatment along the way back to Cho family house. He couldn’t still forgive the other man for not telling him about their secret wedding and queen's costume. He wanted to complain about it to his own parents, but he knew he couldn’t expect much from them. They probably also desired that secret ritual to happen as much as Kyuhyun’s parents.

“Seems like you have enough fun" Kyuhyun broke the silent but Sungmin was so persistent by not answering the taller male.

“You know I am your only ally, don’t you? It won't give you any good by sulking like that”

“Hmph!!!” Sungmin huffed and turned his head away, not wanting to see even a tiny bit glance of the person beside him.

Kyuhyun chuckled and shook his head. Then he eyed the stuffed bear on Sungmin’s lap “Hm? Where did you get that? Didn’t you bring any money?”

“That’s none of your business. If you were truly my ally, you wouldn’t lie to me!!” Sungmin finally spoke up.

“Okay, I am sorry for that. But I know you also met Kim Heechul again which you had promised you wouldn’t. So are we even now?”

Sungmin tightened his lip. He guessed it ought to be one of his bodyguards who reported to Kyuhyun about Heechul. Sungmin glared back to the other male beside him and retorted “In your dream!! We’re far from being even. Beside, I met him accidentally!”

Kyuhyun rolled his eyes. He knew this argument would turn to no end. Their car finally arrived back home. He glanced through a window then smirked as he spotted someone stood in front of his house.

“Now stop being grumpy. Look who is there” He said to Sungmin. The latter snorted. He didn’t want to be commanded by the taller male again so he ignored him. Kyuhyun frowned “Are you sure you don’t want to meet your bestfriend?”. Sungmin quickly turned his face and saw Eunhyuk was waving at him outside the car window.

“Hyukkieee!!!!”

Sungmin launched himself to hug his bestfriend as if it had been ages they didn’t meet “I miss you!!” Sungmin said happily. Eunhyuk circled his arms to the older male and pecked his forehead “I miss you too, Hyung” he said with a wide grin.

Kyuhyun smiled watching the two but it’s only for a short moment. It really annoyed him when Sungmin kept hugging Eunhyuk like a koala even until they entered the living room.

“Ehem...Ehem...!!” Kyuhyun cleared his throat pretty loud. Sungmin turned his head slightly then narrowed his eyes and hissed to Kyuhyun as if he’s telling him ‘Leave us alone!’

Kyuhyun rolled his eyes then said “Excuse me! Your friend here is actually to meet me, not you”

Sungmin snorted, his head was still attached to Eunhyuk’s chest “Just ignore him, Hyukkie. Tell me about your training?”

Eunhyuk caressed his hair “He is right, Hyung. I come here to meet Mr.Cho”

“Don’t need to be formal. You can call me just Kyuhyun” Kyuhyun said to him.

Sungmin loosened their hug and became sulky again “What?!! So you don't miss me?”

“Of course I miss you. I am so happy to see you too. But, I have something important to talk with him. I also have to go from here after 15 minutes”

Sungmin crossed his arms tightly “So he’s more important than me?”

“No. I didn’t mean that”

“Blame to someone who played for hours with bodyguards” Kyuhyun added with smirk. Sungmin huffed “Fine!!” then he walked to upstairs.

“Hyung!!” Eunhyuk called, feeling guilty. Then Sungmin took a U-turn, approached his best friend again and gave a peck to his cheek “I do mad at you, but I still miss you though” he said before turned back again and went to his room. Eunhyuk caressed his own cheek and muttered how cute his hyung was. He watched him with a wide smile until the older male figure disappeared from his sight.

After he turned his eyes back to Kyuhyun, his expression changed to be cold in an instant “I think we need to talk in somewhere private”

~~~~#*SJ*#~~~~

Kyuhyun invited Eunhyuk to his father’s working room.

“What kind of serious talk do you want to tell me Eunhyuk-shi?” he said as he sat on his father’s chair.

Eunhyuk stood looking up to King Cho’s painting for a moment then looked at Kyuhyun “When I look at it again, you do give me the same impression with King Cho”

“Mind you to sit, please” Kyuhyun calmly said and gestured his hand for the other man to sit in front of him.

Eunhyuk agreed. As he reached the chair, he continued his words “Renowned as the wisest and toughest King in Jonseong Era. But behind those big name, hid an indecisive shallow romantic man”

Kyuhyun disliked that kind of look Eunhyuk gave to him. He was steepling his fingers and resting his elbows on the table in front of him “So that’s what do you want to talk about?” he asked coldly.

Eunhyuk shook his head “Of course No. I won’t make the time you’re giving to me becoming useless”

“Nice to hear that. Because I am kind of busy now”

“I know a bit about Jonseong's shadow, that what happens between Cho and Lee family is not only a political ally”

Kyuhyun scoffed “Sungmin told you about his time slip dream? No surprise for me though”

Eunhyuk shrugged “Well, he only told me until the part of Queen Min became mute, which made him crying over night because of that”

“What are you trying to tell me? Giving me some warnings? Jonseong's shadow is just a myth”

“No. It’s not. It’s a concept. Which in my belief, both of yours and Lee family will replay that ancient game again on Sungmin”

Kyuhyun felt taken aback with Eunhyuk’s accusation. That person had known too much. That’s why he didn’t let him to meet Sungmin before “Did you say the same words to Sungmin’s father? If it were not because of him, you wouldn’t have put your feet in this house and met Sungmin”

Eunhyuk giggled in a way which was pretty much disliked by Kyuhyun. It was felt like a deja vu, when he as King Cho was sitting face to face with Queen Min’s brother at jail. The way he showed his gummy smile at him was like mocking him “What are you laughing at?”

“Nothing. I thought you let me in because I told your secretary that I wanted to meet you, not Sungmin. I didn’t know I got a help from Mr. Lee”. Eunhyuk let out a long sigh then continued “Well, for lessening your worry, I didn't blackmail him. We just had reached a sort of mutual understanding”

Kyuhyun scoffed. He didn’t know what kind of deal Eunhyuk put with such a powerful person like Sungmin’s father. That old man wasn’t a kind of person who would be threatened easily by a youngman like eunhyuk. “I thought wrong about you Lee Eunhyuk. I shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover (You weren’t as dumb as I thought)”.

While those two were talking. They didn’t aware someone was overhearing their conversation. A maid who’s actually a reporter that specialized her job field for scandal news.

“Jonseong's shadow? What is that?” she mumbled quietly in front of the door.

“What are you doing, Jessica?”

The maid was startled and reflexly sweeping the floor with her broom. The head of maids, Mrs.Kim was eyeing her with a suspicious stare.

“I...I... just doing my duty here hehehe...” she said with an awkward laugh.

“Minjung had cleaned here 2 hours ago. Now, come with me to the kitchen. I need your help”

“Ye...Yes, Madam” the maid replied and left to follow Mrs.Kim

Back in Kyuhyun’s father office room.

Eunhyuk checked his watch then stood up “I have to go now. I have a practice to do”

He bowed his head as a farewell then turned his back and ready to leave, Kyuhyun stood up and asked “What do you mean by practice? You were taking a break as SM trainee since a week ago”

Eunhyuk spinned around to face him again and smirked. Right. He had stopped being an SM trainee as he found another goal when he met Sungmin’s father. He recalled a part of their conversation with him.

“Are you threatening me? I think you don’t know with whom you’re dealing with. You may be ended up as a corpse when you get out from this house”

“No. I am not threatening you. I come here for your son”

“What do you want?”

“I want you to recruit me”

“Why?”

Eunhyuk shrugged “You can say I have another practice. Ah... I almost forget.  I do come here to warn you.”

Eunhyuk’s expression changed. This time he stared at Kyuhyun with resentment “I saw your eyes when Sungmin kissed my cheek. And I remember you have romantically involved with singer Seohyun. I can see a possibility of you would be standing your feet on two ships¹. I don’t want the history will be repeated again. So, please save this in your mind. If you hurt him (Sungmin), I’ll hunt you down...”

Kyuhyun looked at him with the same glare for a moment then he smirked. He was impressed. Lee Eunhyuk and Lee Sungmin did have some similarities. They tended to be a different character whenever they were real angry. No wonder they became sibling in the past life.

“I heard you. So, please save this in your mind. I am far different from King Cho”

~~~~#*SJ*#~~~~

That night, Sungmin spent his time laying on his bed. He was staring eyes on eyes toward his stuffed bear. A gift from Heechul for him. Well, it’s not practically a gift though since he was the one who forced the singer to lend him the money. He decided that ₩ 2.000 won flying jackie meant to be Heechul gift. While the rest ₩ 18.000 was like 10% of his 2 weeks salary as a PA, so practically the singer still owed him ₩ 162.000. But since he’s a kind person, he wouldn’t ask Heechul to pay him (Sungmin ignored the fact that he worked as Heechul PA for free).

He took his stuffed bear, hugged it onto his chest, then stared toward the ceiling. He remembered what Heechul told him at Cheongdam Park.

“Do you want to know the only thing about Queen Min that resembled you? She was someone whose smile suited her better. Just like you”

He was smiling by himself while thinking of that. He didn’t know Heechul could act sweet toward other people. It’s not so like the usual him. He touched his right cheek, feeling it’s heated. It’s probably as red as cherry right now. He asked himself why he felt happy to hear that. He supposed to feel happy toward a compliment, not a fact.

Then someone was knocking his door.

“Who’s that?”

“It’s me. Andrew”

Sungmin raised up then walked to open the door. Andrew greeted him with a bow then gave him a phone “Youngmaster Kyuhyun ordered me to give back your phone, Sir?”

Sungmin widened his eyes “Huh? What’s up with him, suddenly become so nice to me?”

“I think he is always nice”

Sungmin snorted with Andrew’s remark “Yes, in your dream”

Andrew chuckled. He liked watching Sungmin in a happy mood like that.

“Thank you, anyway. Good night, Siwon” sungmin said before he meant to close the door, but Andrew prevented him “Sir, Can I ask why do you always call me Siwon? I think you know my name is Andrew”

Sungmin shrugged “Why? You don’t like it?”

Andrew gulped. For him, it’s sounded more like Sungmin was naming a pet “Um... it doesn’t mean I don’t like it...”

“Then it’s settled. For now on, I will call you Siwon. Good night” Sungmin said then closed the door before Andrew could answer back.

“But... but you has been calling me Siwon from beginning” he mumbled. He sighed, stared at the closed door but ended forming a smile. He thought he had to give up. ‘Siwon’ was a nice nickname, he thought.

Sungmin his phone. He got tons of texts and voice mails mostly from Eunhyuk. He couldn’t help to not form a smile that the younger really cared for him. He also got few from Heechul like ‘where are you? Are you okay?’ ; ‘Answer me you rotten pumpkin!’; ‘Fine, I just deleted your number’; ‘ you! I hope you’re rotted in your ing palace’, etc.

He griped “What the heck? Only one text from him is normal and the rest are cursing at me”

Then he received a text. From Heechul.

Come to practice room. Now.

Just in case you read this.

Sungmin frowned after reading the text “I am not his PA anymore. Why did he command me?” he griped by himself but smiled in the end. He opened his window's curtain, checking if there’s any security guards around. Luckily, there was no one. He glanced at a silver locket on the table beside his bed. He remembered what Heechul told him back at Cheongdam park.

“He was someone in the past”

He took the locket then sighed “Well, at least I have to return this to it’s owner”.

~~~~#*SJ*#~~~~

“Jay, what are you doing with my phone?” Heechul caught Jay was holding his phone. He was startled noticing Heechul’s present then nervously giving back his phone “Ah. Just... I forgot to save Leeteuk’s new number. So I checked yours”.

Heechul’s lip formed an ‘o’-shape and plainly accepted his reason “Where are the other members?”

“They go to the pratice room”

“What? I thought you said we’re not going to practice tonight”

“The plan has changed. Hurry, they’re waiting for us”

Jay gave him a ride to SM’s building. Heechul didn't aware when the former excused himself to go to a restroom and told him to just go ahead, he was trapped. He expected Donghae and Jungmo were inside, but no any of M & D members was there. The room was empty. He thought. But when he heard a click sound as the door was closed behind him, he realized the was not alone.

“Heechul” that person called his name. He knew that voice. A soothing voice that could him to no where. The voice which he hated the most to ever hear it again because he hated to admit that he missed that voice to death.

He turned around slowly. He was unconsciously holding his breath for a moment to acknowledge the owner voice was standing in front of him. He was dashing forward until he stood a step before the other man “Move!!”

The other man shook his head “We need to talk, Chul”

~~~~#*SJ*#~~~~

Sungmin arrived in front of SM building. He had succeed escaping from Cho family house surprisingly easy. He blew a warm air to the both of his palms then rubbed them together since the night was getting cold. It’s been so long he didn’t go out at midnight. He entered the building easily as the security guard recognized him.

She succeed to escape Gyeongbok palace after taking a royal horse out from it’s stable, along with Sulli. The courtlady caught her on the way and allowed her to pass only if she would go with her. Sungmin wanted to meet Heechul. To apologize. To explain everything. Before the gisaeng appeared in front of her at the palace, she had decided to give up on hope, to accept her destiny, that happiness would never belong to her, that pain was the only constant feeling she had. But after she met that gisaeng again, she could see how worried he was toward her, how much he cared for her before himself. Thus, she realized that hope was still there.

Sungmin was whistling a song along his lone walk to M & D practice room. The corridor was looked so quiet especially with dimness light as there weren’t all lamps at the ceiling . But it didn’t decrease Sungmin’s brightened mood at all. He imagined what he would see once he opened the practice room door. The cheerful Donghae might welcome him with a tight hug. Heechul might keep nagging at him for coming late. While Jungmo and Jay might just watch them bickering to each other. It would be pretty much like the old days. Before he met the future Kyuhyun. He thought after that night, Heechul would never forgive him. That their unique friendship had to be ended in a bad way. But that moment at Cheongdam Park had proved he was wrong, their friendship was still exist, not effected by his situation nor with their past life at all. When he looked on his eyes, he knew there was still a hope for them.

Sungmin arrived in front of Petal house. Met Hyoyeon at the front door. The house looked quiet as the owner decided to not run his business that night. Hyoyeon knelt before her. Her body was trembling as the gisaeng realized whom the person standing in front of her. Sungmin didn’t have time to explain anything to her. She also forgot to bring her notebook. She could see doubt and fear in Hyoyeon’s eyes. Sungmin didn’t know how to explain, so she just held Hyoyeon’s shoulder, looked into her eyes. She could only plead in a lip gesture with ‘Please let me meet him’. When she saw a small smile formed on Hyoyeon’s lip, she felt very thankful that the gisaeng seemed to understand her. She said Heechul at the moment had a meeting with a gisaeng from another house, so she had to wait. But she couldn’t do that. She had to meet him. So she went hastily to where Heechul was, but she stopped on the way when she heard some moans.

He was meters away from the practice room, but he could hear Heechul’s voice yelling to someone. He couldn’t recognize the other person’s voice. He couldn’t hear what they’re talking clearly but he was sure Heechul was having a big quarrel with that person. Therefore, he quickened his steps, felt worried if that person would hurt Heechul. But once he opened the door, he couldn’t believe of the scene in front of him.

She slowly opened the sliding door before her. She bit her lower lip to make sure what she saw in front of her was real. Heechul was making out with a woman. Sungmin watched the other gisaeng threw her head back with a very loud moan as Heechul was her inside her skirt. Sungmin felt something just breaking down inside her chest. The feeling was worse than what she saw before when Heechul was kissing Hangeng before her eyes. She felt betray and disgust. She might be able to accept her unrequited feeling toward the gisaeng since she knew he wasn’t interested with woman, but this.... she couldn’t accept it. Everything she thought about Heechul was wrong. And once again her heart that had been built piece by piece seconds ago was falling apart all over again.

That person was kissing him. One hand was running through Heechul’s hair, while another one was sliding inside his shirt, touching the singer’s back softly in the same rhythm as how gently he was rolling his tongue inside Heechul’s mouth. Sungmin finally could recognize whom that person was when he turned his head a bit to gain more access on the singer. It’s him. The chinese warrior he saw in his dreams. The person whose photo was inside Heechul’s silver locket.

“Su...Sungmin?!! What are you doing here?” Heechul finally noticed him and quickly pushed Hankyung away from him.

Sungmin tried  to open his mouth, for a second he couldn’t utter anything. That scene was too heartbreaking. Like a thin membrane of glass that shattered apart only by a subtle touch. He cursed himself why he always fell to the same trap over and over. Why he thought there’s always a hope in every misery.

“Sungmin, I can explain. This is not like what you’re thinking” he saw Heechul tried to explain. Why he did that? He thought. There’s nothing that needed to be explained about. He was the only one at fault interpreting Heechul’s words that his past was just the past. That it didn’t mean it would be back again as his future. He was the one who was wrong.

“I—I just want to return this” Sungmin finally said as he took the silver locket from his pocket then gave it to Heechul. After it’s returned to the owner hand, Sungmin turned around then left the room without anymore words. He could hear Heechul called his name and asked him to wait, but he ignored him and quickened his steps.

This time, he finally understood. It’s him who chose this path. It’s his choice from the start to keep dreaming that he could create his own happiness and there’s a way to not replaying his fate. He could count how many times he chose to give up then changed his mind and put a fight for his own destiny. But he was always ended up going back to the starting point again and again. He felt tired toward all of these. He wanted to stop. Stopped everything from going out of his control.

He wiped some tears from his eyes. He had decided. They’re his last true tears. He would never begged for happiness to happen to him all over again.

~~~~#*SJ*#~~~~

“Phea!! Queen Min!!”

“What happen Eunuch Kang?”

“She is running away”

He sat quietly inside his car, waiting Sungmin went out from SM building. Kyuhyun was rolling a marble inside his right palm. He sometimes did that when he was thinking deeply about something. He recalled King Cho’s memory again when Queen Min ran away from Gyeongbok palace to meet that gisaeng. He didn’t want it to be repeated again. Not in this life.

“Sir, Youngmaster Sungmin had been out of the building” Kangin reported

“Go get him” he ordered.

They approached Sungmin when the latter was walking on a side road. The car stopped beside him, then Kyuhyun rolled down the window.

“Get in” Kyuhyun said calmly without turning his eyes. Sungmin glanced at him and nodded. He entered the car without a fight like he used to. Both of them didn’t even say a word to each other until they arrived back to Cho family’s house.

“It’s your did, isn’t it?” Sungmin finally said something as they exited the car.

Kyuhyun frowned “How do you know?”. He noticed something changed from Sungmin. His cold stare.

Sungmin approached him then they stood only two steps away to each other “You suddenly decided to give back my phone. No security guards who walked around outside the house. I don’t know how you did it, but I am sure the text I received from Heechul is not originally from him. That person had no idea why I came to the practice room. I also remembered you told me that he loved someone else in the past and he still does which meant you have known that chinese person from beginning”

Kyuhyun scoffed “Finally you use your brain. I am impressed”

“Why are you so persistent to keep me apart from Kim Heechul?” Sungmin asked.

“Just like I said before. I don’t want to replay the same mistakes in our past life. You have to move on from lingering your past memories”

“Are you that afraid of losing with him, Cho Kyuhyun?”

“Everyone wants to win. It’s human nature, Sungmin”

Sungmin chuckled toward his comment “Seems like we share the same thought. I don’t like losing either. Since you have helped me for not lingering to my past memories, it would be my shame if I didn't give you an equal help”

Sungmin took a step closer and stared at the taller male with challenging eyes “You keep a watch on me from getting closer to Kim Heechul, and I also will do the same toward you with Seohyun. This is our new deal.  A fair game between us. Don’t you agree?”

That was the first time for Kyuhyun becoming speechless in front of the shorter male. Then Sungmin, all of a sudden, closed their distance by taking a step more. He looked up to Kyuhyun, then tiptoed to press his lip against the taller male. Kyuhyun’s eyes widened in shock as he didn’t expect Sungmin would do such thing to him.

Sungmin then stepped back and sent him a sly smile “I am ing like you now, Cho Kyuhyun”

It put Kyuhyun in a daze for a second then he realized he had been humiliated by the shorter male in front of him. He was balling his fists. He took a breath to regain his composure then gave Sungmin the exact same sly smile “Trust me. The feeling is mutual”.

¹ A proverb that means you can’t go on 2 journeys at once. Which in this story, Eunhyuk refered that Kyuhyun can’t love two person at the same time.

A.N : Here the new chapter guys ^^. Unbetaed. The longest chapter I ever wrote. 6386 words. I hope you like this one ^^. If you're confuse about who the gisaeng that was making out with Heechul, she was Jung Sooyeon (Jessica). The reason? It will be revealed later ^^. And about kissing scenes, they are Hanchul and Kyumin in this chapter (And a bonus hyukmin xD). I will save hanchul conversation in the next chapter ^^. I am sorry for the readers who wished it's heemin kiss and Kyuhyun watched them in jealousy didn't happen in this chapter (It may happen later don't worry kekekekekeke xD)

I hope you will give me your lovely comments again, guys ^^ !!!

I have another present for you. A new song theme for The Mute Queen. Love That Can't Be Erased by SS501 with english lyric ^^. I hope you like it ^^.