This seems filler-ish yet not really. Or maybe I just didn't reread and beta as well as I should. I'll probably just edit when I get back or when I feel like it. Haha! Anyway, let me know if you think it and I'll fix it.

Btw, what Keiji told Tiffany and Jessica is on Chapter 16. :)

And... this is me running away.

Please don't hate me.



Chapter 19
“Riri is talking to Kyuhyun?” Leeteuk repeated in a very loud voice that carried over to the rest of the house. “Riri and Kyuhyun are talking?” This sent Angie, who was busy in the nursery, come floundering down with the twins in both arms to the living room, giving him an expectant look.

“That’s what I said, hyung,” Donghae patiently said through the phone line. “It seems that the person who kept on calling and calling then hanging up these past few mornings was Jin Ri. She’s been gathering the courage to actually talk to Kyuhyun.”

Leeteuk beamed, certainly impressed with how things had progressed so soon. “So this has been going on for…?” He got Sunhee from his wife and carried her instead.

“The past three days,” Donghae aptly reported. “Kyuhyun’s been doing the calling now, too. He always gets up just before the sun rises, grabs the phone from the living room then secludes himself on the balcony talking to her just until after the sun has risen. Manager hyung has even made allowances for our mornings just because of this. Because he sees how Kyuhyun has changed. He’s much more active now.”

“And how is he with the rest of you? Are you guys still bullying him?” Leeteuk questioned in a very straightforward manner.

“I never did anything of the sort,” Donghae retorted, sounding very affronted. “I never said anything to him.”

“Silent treatment is still bullying,” Leeteuk reminded him, chuckling a little when Angie rolled her eyes at him.

“Everything’s fine here, hyung,” Donghae assured him. “Mi and Kyu are best friends again. Kyuhyun tells us about how our sister-in-law’s doing and how Heechul hyung’s very nice to have around.”

“Baby, what is it? Kyuhyun and Ri are finally talking again?” Angie asked excitedly as Leeteuk ended the phone call with Donghae.

The younger male had been calling at least every other day to give reports on Kyuhyun’s disposition, as well as his relationship with the members. It was quite a surprise to Leeteuk when the first things to leave Donghae’s mouth as he answered the call was the fact that the couple was frequently talking on the phone and what was more interesting about it was that Jin Ri was the one who initiated the whole thing.

“Yes, it seems like that,” Leeteuk confirmed, smiling his dimpled smile. Sunhee cooed in his arms and poked his dimple. “Have you talked to Riri about this? It never occurred to me that she would ever do this, considering how hurt she’s been feeling.”

Angie shook her head. “As much as I would like to take credit for this delightful development, I have nothing to do with it,” she said, making a face as Sungjoo poked her face with her own her. “I’m pretty sure Taeyeon or none of the other girls could have gotten through to her that way. So that leaves just pretty much Heechul.”

“The man certainly has talent,” Leeteuk remarked, looking proud.

“Well he does take after the best,” Angie commented, smiling at him.

Leeteuk cackled a laugh then turned to their twins. “What do you say, kids? Let’s give your aunt Riri and uncle Heechul a visit!”

~ * ~

Heechul rested his hip on the edge of the kitchen counter and watched as Jin Ri started making dinner. It was, he had to admit, one of his favorite parts of their day, watching her cook, smelling her cooking and eating what she cooked. It really was no wonder Kyuhyun was so in love with her. She was a goddess of the kitchen and men fell in love with a woman who knew how to feed well.

“Oppa, stop staring at me. I’m starting to blush,” Jin Ri teasingly told him. She giggled as she glanced at him and he looked away.

“The blush that’s been on your face for the past few days is not my doing,” Heechul knowingly commented. He snickered as she coughed and turned around to pretend to do something else just so she could hide her red face. “So I take it that things are better?”

“Yes,” she answered, finally turning around and facing him. There was a smile on her face, one that Heechul knew hadn’t been there in a while.

“What do you guys talk about?” he wanted to know. He took a seat on one of the stools and propped his chin on his hand.

“Everything and anything,” she shared, smiling even more.

Talking to Kyuhyun, in person or on the phone, was one of the things she really loved doing with him. She loved his stories and how animated he became when he told them. She also loved listening to his voice. She thought it was one of the most beautiful things about him.

“That’s nice,” he sincerely said, smiling back at her.

“Thank you, oppa,” she stated, meeting his eyes. “I mean it,” she pressed when it looked like Heechul was going to go the modest route.

“Is this why you’re preparing a feast?” he asked, clearing his throat. It wasn’t that he was modest. He was getting emotional. He was happy to have been able to help fix things somehow. “Is this your way of thanking me?” He grinned.

“Leeteuk oppa and Angie noona are coming over,” she reminded him, bursting his bubble.

“Ah the Park family,” he commented.

Shortly after, the doorbell rang. Both Jin Ri and Heechul made their way to the front gate to welcome their visitors. But once the gate opened, they were surprised to find that Yesung, Kibum, Shindong, Kangin and Taeyeon were also there.

“Surprise!”

“What are you all doing here?” Jin Ri asked, chuckling as she was engulfed in a hug by Yesung, who seemed to have missed her and who was of course giving her comfort with everything that’s happening.

“We’re here because we can finally visit you,” Kibum commented, smiling at her and ruffling her hair as they all trooped back inside the house.

“You’ve always been allowed to visit me,” Jin Ri told them, giving each of the boys a kiss on the cheek, after which she gave Taeyeon and Angie a hug each.

“You weren’t fit to cook for us then,” Shindong reminded her, giving her an affectionate hug. “So where’s the food?” His voice boomed across the house. All the others, save for Yesung, Leeteuk, Angie and Taeyeon, all followed Heechul to the kitchen.

“Hi babies,” Jin Ri cooed as she gave Sunhee a kiss on the head and scooped Sungjoo into her arms. “How are you? I’ve missed you.” Angie and Leeteuk exchanged a happy look. Jin Ri was certainly better.

“How are you, dear?” Angie wanted to know as they moved to the living room and sat down. Leeteuk sat down beside her, while Taeyeon and Yesung sat down on the seats across from theirs.

“I’m fine, better,” Jin Ri assured them, playing with Sungjoo’s little hand. “I’m sure you guys already know why.” She chuckled at their suddenly innocent faces.

“Well, I don’t know anything,” Yesung piped in. “I just came back this morning. But I’m happy to see you smiling, Ri.”

“And I’m really happy you’re here, oppa. Just in time for Christmas. Anyway, Kyuhyun’s coming back tomorrow so we’ll be able to talk properly then,” Jin Ri shared to them. “But, even so, we’ve talked about it over the phone and we’re going to work on things.”

“That’s really nice, Ri,” Taeyeon said, looking very much relieved.

They started catching up on other things, mostly talking about—teasing—Yesung about how his head looked even bigger being shaved the way it was.

Soon, the boys started complaining about how it should be time for dinner already.

They decided to eat out in the backyard, on the lawn. The couples were seated beside each other, with Angie and Leeteuk feeding their twins, Taeyeon feeding Kangin, Shindong heartily helping himself, and Yesung, Kibum and Heechul chatting with each other. Jin Ri leaned back and contentedly watched them. She missed them all terribly. It was only then she realized how badly she let her relationships with them get affected. She’d not only shut Kyuhyun out. She also stopped talking to the rest of her family.

In the midst of all the enjoyment, the phone rang. They didn’t hear it at first, but after a while Jin Ri stood up to go to the living room to answer it. Eight pairs of eyes, which had been watching her discreetly the whole time, followed her.

“It’s practically midnight,” Taeyeon remarked, glancing at her watch. “Who could be calling at this hour?”

“Maybe it’s Kyuhyun,” Kangin teasingly suggested.

“It is Kyuhyun,” Heechul confirmed with a serious face just as Leeteuk asked to privately speak to him.

“How do you know?” Shindong asked.

“It’s her smile,” Heechul knowingly noted.

~ * ~

Kyuhyun sighed through the phone as he leaned back on the sofa. He had just returned from his schedules and the first thing that he did was pick up the phone and call his wife. His wife. He liked that he could still call her that, that she seemed to be giving him the chance to redeem himself and fix things between them. It seemed that he owed a lot to Heechul. Jin Ri told him how he had talked her into calling him.

“You sound tired,” Jin Ri observed.

“We did a lot today,” Kyuhyun said then he relayed all the events of his day, from waking up early to calling her to moving from one schedule to the next, all Chinese variety shows. He sighed. “I wish you were here. I miss you.”

“You’re coming home tomorrow,” she reminded him, smiling at his sweetness. “We’ll be able to see each other then.”

“Are you coming to the airport?” he asked, suddenly sounding excited. He was probably pushing his luck since things weren’t completely fixed between them. But, maybe, just maybe, she would go and pick him up.

“I have an appointment after my morning meetings so I’m not sure,” she told him hesitantly. “I’m sorry, Kyu. I’ll try to be there.”

“It’s okay,” he assured her. It was enough that she was going to try to be there. “I can’t wait to see you, princess. I’m happy you’re talking to me again like this, but I want to be able to hold you, to kiss you.”

She giggled. Talking to Kyuhyun on the phone like this made her feel like a giddy schoolgirl. Hearing him telling her he missed her and loved her made her blush and made her so expectant at seeing him again. She really missed him and she hoped that tomorrow would come already just so she could see him again.

“I want that, too,” she quietly responded, “seobang.”

She heard Kyuhyun clearing his throat and chuckled. “Princess, you know what being called seobang does to me,” he stated.

“I know,” she answered, chuckling even more. “Something for you to look forward to?”

“I love you, princess,” he earnestly declared. “I love you so much. You don’t know how thankful I am that you’re talking to me again, that you’re forgiving me and giving me a second chance.”

“Like what I told you before, like what I wrote in that song, even if a very long time passes, even if you and I become a bit different, I want to dream forever with you like this,” she proclaimed. “Forever.”

“Eternity,” he echoed.

She smiled then turned back towards the patio, where the rest of the members with Angie and Taeyeon were calling her back.

“I have to go,” she told him. “You should get your rest.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” he asked. She could hear the smile and excitement in his voice.

“Yes,” she promised.

~ * ~

The camera flashes were blinding, the crowd’s noise was deafening and the space between them and the people were minimal, too minimal. The only way each of the boys were able to find their way through the crowd was bowing down, despite the dark shades, caps and hoodies, they were wearing and through some hand holding.

Sungmin had his hand tight around Kyuhyun’s. It was like a death grip, one that the older male had never given the younger one before. But Kyuhyun supposed that it was because there were too many people at the airport, although it wasn’t something that should have surprised them. They’ve been away for a couple of days, after all.

When Kyuhyun tried to disentangle his hand from Sungmin so he could get something from his bag, Sungmin refused to let go. The older male merely looked at him and shook his head. Kyuhyun frowned and merely stumbled when Ryeowook bumped onto his back.

“Sorry,” Ryeowook muttered, obviously tired, and pulled his cap lower on his face.

“Why are there so many security guards?” Henry observed, looking around. About twenty guards lined both of their sides.

Soon, they reached immigration. Zhoumi counted them with his eyes then stopped at Kyuhyun. He gestured to him so that he could go through first.

“Kyu, wait for me when you’re done,” Sungmin, poising to follow after him, called as Kyuhyun went ahead.

But Sungmin wasn’t able to follow after him because both Henry and Eunhyuk wanted to go ahead because they wanted to go to the bathroom. Then Donghae was after that because he didn’t want to be too far from Eunhyuk. It was only then that Sungmin managed to go through immigration and by then Kyuhyun had gone ahead.

Just as he was go through the sliding doors that lead to the airport lobby, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He stopped walking to answer it.

“Kyuhyun,” Jin Ri’s voice came through the line.

“Princess,” Kyuhyun greeted back happily, “Hey, we just finished going through immigration. We’re about to leave in a bit. Where are you?”

“I’m on my there,” she told him, sounding giddy and excited. “I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?” he asked, feeling her enthusiasm. He looked behind him and saw the rest of the members catching up.

“I’ll tell you when I get there, when I see you,” she decided. “Will you wait for me?”

“I will,” he promised. “I’ll wait for you. Let me know when you arrive.”

“Okay,” she happily responded. “I love you, Kyuhyun.”

“I love you, too, princess,” he quickly answered. “But you already know that.”

She freely laughed. “It’s still nice to hear.”

“Well then, when I see you I’ll tell you so many times you’ll get sick of it,” he joked.

“I’ll be waiting for that,” she declared.

“And I’ll be waiting for you.”

Kyuhyun grinned as the call ended and he slipped his phone in his pocket. The other members soon caught up with him with Sungmin reaching for his hand and exercising his death grip once more.

“What is it with you and holding my hand today, Min?” Kyuhyun asked, half teasing, half annoyed.

“Fan service?” Sungmin blurted out, looking uncertain about it.

Donghae and Eunhyuk chuckled beside them. When Zhoumi reached them, he counted each of them again and they proceeded outside of the sliding doors, where pandemonium met them.

The camera flashes were even more blinding and the noise even more deafening. The guards squished them all together like a pack of canned sardines. But soon, the guards were able to push the crowd back and they were able to walk in a more relaxed way, with more space around them.

As they walked, Kyuhyun waved and smiled at the fans, something he’d grown accustomed to doing back when they were in China. He figured that, since they were all there already anyway, he might as well make their trip to the airport to see them more worthwhile.

“KYUHYUN!!!”

He turned his head to the left and began to walk towards the crowd, forcing his hand to untangle with Sungmin. Sungmin frowned at this and turned to Zhoumi and Siwon for back up. But the two males merely watched as Kyuhyun walked towards the crowd. Kyuhyun nodded at the guard, who looked hesitant to let him go near the fans.

As soon as he reached the fans, paper bags containing gifts and food were into his hand, some asked for autographs and others requested for photos. He obliged, seeing as there seemed to be no harm in doing so.

When he reached a particular group of fans, he did the same, received gifts, signed autographs and gave hugs. But what was different was that a note was onto his hand. He smiled at the one who gave it, who merely squeezed back into the crowd, disappearing. Frowning, he decided to read the note already, noting that it was written using cutouts of magazine and newspaper letters.

You’re going to pay for everything.

Kyuhyun frowned, glancing up at the group of fans and no longer finding the one who handed it to him. He decided to ignore the shiver that went through his spine and merely crumpled the note, shoving it into the depths of his pockets. He moved to turn back to where the other members were.

It happened so quickly that no one even noticed anything.

All of a sudden Kyuhyun was on the ground, seemingly having collapsed, clutching his side. Sungmin, who was watching him the closest, was on his side in a flash, diving just as he saw the magnae falling. He cradled the younger male into his arms, and made his head rest on his lap. The rest of the members crowded around, some on the floor, some remaining standing.

“Kyuhyun,” Sungmin called out, lightly tapping the younger male’s cheek.

Kyuhyun, whose face had paled out in the past couple of seconds, had his eyes shut tightly. Slowly, at Sungmin’s call, he opened them, his face reflecting pain.

“Kyuhyun, what happened?” their manager wanted to know, looking concerned. He was crouched down beside Sungmin. Kyuhyun had, after all, gotten into too many accidents to last him a lifetime. His health and safety always concerned him.

Kyuhyun coughed. Sungmin gave out a cry as blood splattered on his shirt. Zhoumi, seeing this as well, crouched down.

“Where does it hurt, Kyuhyun?” Zhoumi demanded, feeling panicked. He had a bad feeling the moment he stepped off to go to the fans, but he had decided to ignore it because what were the odds that what Leeteuk discussed with him over the phone would be true. Now he regretted having taken the extra word of precaution lightly.

Kyuhyun gingerly moved the hand that he was using to clutch at his side.

“He’s bleeding!” Ryeowook cried out, immediately removing his jacket to cover him up.

The manager immediately whipped his mobile phone out and punched in a couple of numbers before pressing it to his ear. As he waited for the person he was calling to answer, he called the group to attention.

“I’m going to call for an ambulance to get Kyuhyun out of here as quickly as we can,” he directed as calmly as he could. He didn’t need and didn’t want to worry the boys any more than they already were. “For now, make him as comfortable as you can. I’m going to talk to the security to make sure that the fans are quietly made to leave the area.” His eyes flickered down to Kyuhyun. “Kyuhyun...” he trailed away, not knowing what to say, his voice having started to tremble. At this, he stood up and walked towards the head of security, while saying instructions to the person on the other end of his phone call.

Eunhyuk had started crying when Kyuhyun opened his mouth to say something. He couldn’t help but think as to why it was always Kyuhyun who had things like this happen to. He also couldn’t help but think at how poorly they had guarded him. Donghae put an arm around his best friend’s shoulders, hoping to calm him down, all the while forcing the tears of his own to not fall. Siwon, meanwhile, had taken it as his responsibility to calm Henry down.

“What is it, Kyu?” Zhoumi asked, leaning his head closer to his so he could hear him better.

Kyuhyun opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He thought that it was very hard to form words when all he could think about was how painful his whole body seemed to feel. Also, he seemed to be feeling so lethargic that all he wanted to do was fall asleep. Maybe then, the pain would disappear, he thought.

“Prin…cess,” he forced out, coughing up blood in the process.

Then, without warning, he fell out of consciousness.