By the next morning, tongues were wagging and knowing glances were shot at Seohyun as she walked to school, trying her absolute hardest to ignore them and pretend there was nothing wrong. For comfort and security, she walked with Taeyeon, sticking close to her and her unnie didn’t mind at all- she in fact glared at whoever stared at Seohyun and managed to intimidate them away. Seohyun was grateful for her unnie being there trying to comfort and help her…but she couldn’t help but avert her eyes somewhere. That spot where they used to meet. Even though it was highly unlikely he would be there today, for some strange reason, she had the smallest flicker of hope that…if she dared to look over, he would be there. Yesterday hadn’t happened- it had all been an awful dream.

So it was how, when she did look and saw no one at that pillar, she started to shake and when Taeyeon tried to calm her down, the geyser of unshed sadness burst once again and she dashed away to the bathroom, crying again. It was also how Kyuhyun found himself yearning to rush to her side and comfort her. Every tear she shed felt like another lead piece filling up his heart, weighing it down- it hurt him horribly to see her sad. But inside, he also knew that if he tried to approach her now, he would hurt her even more and they would both suffer.

And, he also happened to have Tiffany clinging onto him. Just being near her disgusted him. But she was being so pushy and forward that it was hard just trying to get away from her. However, he also knew that any minute he could pass by her and hurt her again. So when Tiffany tried to pull him closer to her, Kyuhyun pulled away and said flatly, “I have to go to class” and walked away, not even looking back. Tiffany was stung at first, but then she smirked and said to herself, “Just a while longer…you’ll come right back to me in no time.”

For the rest of the day, Seohyun was practically sheltered by her best friends so even if Kyuhyun had tried to approach her, he would have been blocked off. Seohyun managed to get through most of the day without breaking down and was touched that her unnies cared so much about her. But still, in her heart, she ached to be with him again, right by his side, sometimes so close that they were leaning on each other.

That day, she also had community service work to do, so she donned her costume and went down to the part of the city where she worked. A lot of people seemed to need to be cheered up too today and their amused smiles when she gave them balloons made  her feel happier than she had the past two days. An hour later, she took a break and sat down on a cement bench in a circle of other cement structures that had pieces of artwork leaning on them, taking off her big cartoon head hat and taking a breather. Working had, at least, managed to take her mind off of the drama unfolding in school. She stared up at the clear sky, thinking deeply and wondering about her life.

Seohyun had spaced out so much that she hadn’t noticed a slouching figure with a pack slung over his shoulder approaching her. She failed to observe that the very last person in the world she wanted to see at the moment was walking toward her, equally unaware of her presence as he was admiring the artwork. When Kyuhyun was less than 10 feet away, Seohyun felt someone’s presence quite close to her and looked up. His eyes fell on her at the same time. He could see the conflicting emotions through her eyes as she realized who it was, pain, grief and a sense of being betrayed.

Their eyes stayed locked on each other for about a second before the memories came rushing back in. Flustered, her mind went totally blank as she tried to figure out what to do. On impulse, she practically leaped up off the cement bench and hurriedly plunked the character head on her head, not even realizing that she had put it on backwards. In her haste to get away, she also managed to stumble straight over some of the artwork that had been leaning over the benches. After knocking some artwork over, she finally managed to sprint away, leaving behind a mess of overturned canvases and a startled Kyuhyun, who was too stunned to move or to try and register that confusing and tense moment that occurred between them.

He sighed as he sat down on the bench, questioning his earlier beliefs on fate. He still found it pointless to believe in superstitions but…he was starting to wonder what the hell caused his world to collide with hers…and why there were so many instances where they found themselves together. Frustrated, he merely through his hands in the air and strode home, his heart throbbing with pangs of guilt and longing to be by her side and her angelic face, her eyes kept coming up in his mind and Kyuhyun visibly blushed. As she went back to her community service work and as he went home, both had been unaware of a certain carefree dancer who had been observing them in the shadows the entire time. He grinned to himself, amused, and began to deviously plan in his mind what to do, all the while, humming lines to a song:

“My figure became cut off somewhere, as if I didn’t live without regrets…”

He then danced, moonwalk-style, out of his shadowy hiding place and began to trail Kyuhyun home.

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After a morning of dreadfully boring classes and pretending there was nothing wrong with her, Seohyun was already exhausted. When the morning break bell finally rang, she dragged herself up and scanned the room for Taeyeon, who was strangely nowhere to be found. Cautiously, she stole a peek at the desk she used to always visit during breaks and which she had avoided for the past two days and she found it empty. Using all of her willpower to steel her mind away from him, she sank straight back down into her seat and was about to open her textbooks to review when Yoona plunked into the seat next to her.

“Hey, Seohyunnie,” Yoona greeted her, giving her a comforting smile. “You feel a little bit better?” Touched that her unnie cared, Seohyun nodded slightly. Yoona gently laid her hand on Seohyun’s shoulder and said, “Aish, Seohyun- don’t worry too much, okay? You’ll always have me, Taeyeon and Yuri-unnie if you need a place to vent. Seohyun fighting!” Yoona pretended to do a fist pump and grinned. Seohyun looked Yoona in the eye and finally broke into a smile- the first time she had smiled in days. “There you go, you’re smiling now!” said Yoona, playfully patting Seohyun on the arm. “Now if you excuse me, I have to go wrestle Sungmin for my notes back. He’s being so lazy nowadays that he never takes notes and always copies mine! Aish!”

Seohyun smiled as she watched Yoona go- but was slightly surprised when Yoona turned back around and came back. “Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you- Donghae-oppa wants to talk to you after lunch by the staircase,” she informed her. Taken a little bit off-guard, Seohyun gazed Yoona questioningly. In the back of her mind, she guessed that she knew what it was about. She also noticed that her unnie smiled quite iwdely when she mentioned Donghae’s name- and realized that she had seen them together an awful lot lately. “Are you and Donghae going out?” Seohyun asked Yoona, teasing her just a bit. “What?! No…not really- we’re just good friends…is all…” Yoona protested, stuttering a bit and her face flushed pink, turning just a bit red. Seohyun smiled at Yoona’s embarrassment and said nonchalantly, “Okay, whatever.” The bell rang once more and everyone returned to their seats, class resuming once again.

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Taeyeon leaned back against the wall, arms crossed and her stare slightly disapproving as she faced the person on the opposite wall in the hallway. “Well?” she asked, breaking the silence. “What is it now? You know that I won’t let you hurt her ever again.” He sighed, knowing he would face her imminent dislike of him because of what happened. “…I need to ask you for a favor.” “What, so you can viciously break her heart again? No way in hell am I helping you with that.” Taeyeon snapped at him, her patience wearing thin.

“Please, Taeyeon,” he pleaded with her. “If I approach her myself, she runs away.” “I don’t blame her,” Taeyeon put in. Frustrated, he ran his hand through his messy hair, and then said, “I’m begging you, please hear me out. What happened- I’ll admit it was partially my fault for getting drawn in but I really did nothing. Please…I…I…I really like her. I’m in love with her. Every time I see her cry, I want to just go over there, wrap her in my arms and tell her it’s okay. Please…just help me. I will make it so that when she’s with me, she’ll always smile and she’ll never cry when she’s with me. She’ll be happy. Please.”

Taeyeon sighed through her nose. He sounds so desperate, she thought, slightly amused. So unlike how he usually is. After contemplating it for a few moments, she turned to him and asked dryly, “All right. So what exactly are you planning…?”

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Kyuhyun was just about to head back into the classroom when he felt slim arms wrap themselves around his and a seductive voice cooing, “Hey, Kyu…I’ve missed you.” He groaned in exasperation. How the hell did she manage to find him wherever he went? He glanced at Tiffany, still clinging to his arm. It was basically because of her, all the drama had happened- and why Seohyun probably cried to sleep every night. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got and the more sure he was that he had made up his mind.

He sighed as he pulled his arm away and turned to face Tiffany. “Stop it, Tiffany. What you’ve done is absolutely wrong. We might have gone out for two weeks but it’s over and has been over. I’m sorry, but…I don’t like you or think of you in that way. I…I’m in love with Seohyun. And I don’t think I’ll let anyone get in the way of that.” His words were direct and clear and there was a determination in his eyes that can only be found in stubborn lovers. Tiffany realized this and her feelings were crushed. She tried to think of something to say, but her tears were coming too fast and the last thing she wanted was for someone to say that they had seen her cry. So instead, she slapped him on the arm and ran straight away. Kyuhyun, confused and resigned, sighed again and went back to class.

Jessica had been on her way back to class when she saw Tiffany come barreling straight towards her. She was shocked as Tiffany buried her face in her chest and she realized that Tiffany was crying. “Oh my god, what happened?” Jessica asked. Tiffany looked up at her best friend and a wordless conversation was exchanged between them and Jessica knew instinctively what had happened. “So…are you going to try and make her life miserable again?” she asked Tiffany.

Tiffany thought it over for a moment, then shook her head, a sign of resignation. “No…I’m actually thankful for her,” she said, sniffling. Amidst her tears, she smiled a bit. “She’s probably the only person who’s ever managed to make him have that look on his face. He didn’t just have a cool, bored expression on his face. He looked so intent on protecting her…he’s so in love with her…how can I break them up?” Jessica understood and smiled at her best friend and said, “All right then…come on, let’s go to the bathroom so you can clean you face up.”

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Seohyun joined her friends at lunch, noticing that he wasn’t around once again. As she sat down at the table, Tiffany passed by her. They locked gazes for a moment- Tiffany had an odd expression, as if she didn’t know quite what to make of Seohyun. Then, the strangest thing happened. Tiffany gave Seohyun a small smile that in no means was nasty. Confused, Seohyun watched her walk away as if nothing happened.

After lunch, Seohyun remembered what Yoona-unnie had told her and headed to the staircase. “Donghae?” she called out, looking around for him. “Ah, hello Seohyun-ssi,” came a voice from behind her. She turned around and was surprised to see Donghae dance out of the shadows of the staircase where he hadn’t been before. He always wore a slightly lopsided and crooked grin and was a carefree but kindhearted person. Seohyun admired him most of Kyuhyun’s best friends.

He came over to her and gave her a small but warm smile. “Thank you for coming,” he said. “We don’t have much time before class starts, but I have to tell you something.” Seohyun listened intently as he went on. “You might think Kyuhyun’s being cowardly and sent me to talk to you when he really should be here himself. But…have a little faith in him. He’s still confused and sorting his feelings out a bit but we all know one thing- he cares about you so much. You have no idea how much he’s changed by being with you.” Donghae had seen it himself, observing how his best friend’s originally icy and cold demeanor had been softened and warmed by this special girl and he smiled at the thought of it.

Donghae clasped her hands, stared her meaningfully in the eyes and said, “Believe me…and believe in Kyu as well. Let him explain himself when the time comes- I want you both to be happy with each other.” Seohyun only stared back at him, strangely touched by how a best friend went to such lengths to make his hyung happy. Donghae straightened up, grinned at her and remarked, “Well! We should be getting back to class now…”

“Oppa~!” a familiar voice called for him. Seohyun noticed that his eyes twinkled and shone at the sound of that voice. “Alright then, Seohyun-ssi. See you around!” He winked and flashed another grin at Seohyun before joining a girl who was waiting by him- whom Seohyun guessed could only be Yoona-unnie. She stood there and watched them as they talked to each other, laughed and occasionally gave each other looks only intimate lovers could. Instead of feeling jealous, Seohyun felt really happy for her unnie and her newfound love. It certainly made her own problems a lot smaller and, sighing, she followed them and went back to class.

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That afternoon, Seohyun was working double shifts since she couldn’t make it the following week for community service. In a sense, she tried to drown herself in work so her mind wouldn’t drift back to her meeting with Donghae, Taeyeon telling her to come by the other park later on in the evening and…her chance run-in with Kyuhyun. Even after how horribly she suffered after seeing him with Tiffany, after him avoiding her for the past two days…she still loved him. How much she longed to be by his side, to feel the smoothness of his face and to intertwine her fingers in his…she feared that the chance might never come. Blinking back hot tears, Seohyun tried to remember Donghae’s words and focus her energy into her work.

The afternoon faded into the evening as the sun set on the city. She saw many couples wandering in the park where she promised to meet Taeyeon, hand in hand, their eyes only on each other. Seohyun danced around, still in her character uniform and gave couples heart balloons all while looking around for Taeyeon. When she gave a balloon to one couple, something caught her eye. She saw a familiar canvas on an easel and many fantastic pieces of artwork and she immediately realized that this was Kyuhyun’s corner where he drew sketches- and where she used to visit quite often. Her heart thrummed intensely as she tried to figure out why Taeyeon-unnie would ask her to come here of all places to meet up.

When she was unable to find Taeyeon, she walked by Kyuhyun’s artwork and admired them. She took a look at all of them, until when she came to the easel where he appeared to have been working on a sketch, she came to a complete stop as well as her heart. She suddenly had a flashback back to one afternoon they had hung out together at the park as she stared at the dark, dusty groove that in a corner of the canvas:

“Kyu! Why won’t you let me see!” she whined, trying to catch a glimpse at the mysterious sketch he had been working on. Chuckling, Kyuhyun held it out of her reach and sight and said teasingly, “Nah-uh. This is a secret. Even you can’t see it.” Seohyun, pretending to be angry, picked up the small piece of coal he occasionally used for sketching. “Meanie!” she said, pouting a bit and playfully throwing it at him. Kyuhyun dodged it, but it hit the corner of the canvas, and they both burst into laughing.

Now, Seohyun’s eyes focused on the whole picture and to her utter surprise and shock, it was a rough, but beautifully sketched picture of...herself. It was a profile of her face and as she gazed at it, she realized that he had been working on it in his spare time. Just then, she felt someone nearby. She looked up and her heart sped up and her breath came in small gasps. About 20 feet away, there he stood, facing her. There was something over his head, but as soon as he turned around, Seohyun realized that it was a boy cartoon head similar to her own which he had purposely put on backwards.

“When you start to fear the day and when you start to get tired…”

Kyuhyun suddenly turned around, the cartoon head’s face now towards her. On his back was a heart backpack. He then raised stretched his arms out in the air in a childish fist pump. Seohyun could barely contain the tears of absolute pure joy as he took off the cartoon head and turned around- and gave her his best crooked grin which made her heart melt into a puddle. She was beyond words now- every logical thought that had once been in her head now vanished in that moment. Slowly, a small smile formed on her lips and it grew until it lit up her whole face.

“Everyone gathers strength and spreads their dreams’ wings…”

He began walking toward her and she approached him as well. When they were nearly chest to chest apart, there was a golden silence in between them, save for a song that was playing on a nearby radio. Seohyun gazed into his eyes and saw that they were sparkling with joy like she’d never seen them before. Kyuhyun stared into her eyes and found them flickering and dancing with adoration and happiness. “Oppa…” she whispered.

Finally, he could hold it in no longer. He encircled his arms around her and drew her tight to him, not wanting to let go. She was slightly surprised when she found herself pressed into his chest, but then felt a warm, delighted feeling spread through her body and mind. A sweet dream finally emerged from the realm of nightmares.

Kyuhyun was lost in her, her scent, her everything, when he thought his ears had registered something to his brain. “…aranghaeyo.” He craned his neck to look at her, to see if he had heard right. Seohyun looked him in the eyes and murmured, “Saranghaeyo, Kyuhyun-oppa.” Butterflies couldn’t flutter as much as his heart did just then. He broke into another crooked grin, and whispered back, “Saranghaeyo, Seohyun-ssi.” When he leaned forward again, slowly this time, Seohyun felt her heart leap into , but she managed to calm down and go with the flow of passion that followed through.

All the while, the song on the radio flowed into the chorus and echoed clearly into the night:

“S.E.O.U.L., call it with me, the beautiful world that makes my dreams come true, the place where joy overflows wherever I go~~I love you~~S.E.O.U.L., shout it with me, the happiness that can laugh; Anywhere~~we make a world where everything becomes one…”

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Epilogue

That had been three years ago and now that they were seniors and ready to depart for college, they were still together and still very happy. It was the night before their last day in high school and Seohyun and Kyuhyun decided to meet in the park where they had first met. They sat on a bench, talking and laughing about their school years. They discussed how all their friends had in some way found love like they did- Donghae had asked Yoona out shortly after Seohyun and Kyuhyun had gotten together, Taeyeon could constantly be seen with a certain blond-brown angel boy and Eunhyuk had found love with Hyoyeon, a “dancing queen” at school. As the talking died down and they simply sat with each other, enjoying the other’s presence, Kyuhyun’s mind wandered off back to the year they met, the year he found his soul mate and how fate threw them on a path together.

“…What are you thinking about, Kyu?” That angelic voice of hers, the one that soothed his dreams at night, broke through his slight trance. He turned to face her, smiled and said, “Just of how we met.” She smiled back at him and he went on, “You know…I never used to believe in fate back then. I thought it was pointless and illogical.” Seohyun stared at him, slightly confused, and asked, “Well…what made you change your mind?” Kyuhyun gazed at her lovingly, giving her that crooked smile that she loved so much. “What do you think, beautiful?”

Happiness flowed inside her, and she leaned over to give him a peck on the lips. “I love you.” “I love you, too,” was the heartfelt reply. After a few moments of silence, an old familiar song came up on the nearby radio. The two glanced at each other and started to sing along:

“Before I knew it, another day passes and my footsteps go towards home with a mind that first started with a bulky heart…”

Anyone who was just passing by would have believed they were really talented singers practicing a duet with each other. Anyone who was observant enough would have noted that their fingers, resting on the bench in the space between them, were interlocked with the other’s, intertwined as if it was really, definitely fate.  

A/N: Seokyu shippers! didja like it? xD

UPDATE! i wont be updating for the rest of this week (i'll be going on a trip) but dont worry! i'll come back and then afterwards, it's time to update my long overdue for an update seokyu series, Two Hearts- Maknae Saranghaeyo. really i will. promise x_x

as for the request system...i'm not sure if anybody will use it to make requests yet/i havent figured it out yet so i'm going to hold off on it for a while xP

till then though! :DD