The more days go by, the less hurt from the past stays.

Key didn’t show up again - neither did JongHyun. The twins turned up few more times, mostly because they had to check did SungGyu use the cheque to cover the renovation expenses and did the insurance company approved of the new insurance polis. They promised to come over again, but never did and WooHyun assumed they will appear again when they will be needed.

The diner started run just like it had before those few… misunderstanding happened  and no more problems occurred for a good week or even more until DongWoo and Hoya started to act strange.

DongWoo managed to hide it better – behind his bright smiles and loud laughter - while Hoya seemed tenser than before and not once in the past weeks had stared at WooHyun longer than he usually does, his eyes reflecting something between fear and regret. When they were asked what was wrong neither of them answered and managed to avoid the questions quite well and always wave them off, but WooHyun had this strange feeling, this sixth sense hint that it was connected with him and… SungYeol.

Could it be that they have any kind of news about him?

It wouldn’t matter to WooHyun – good or bad news (hopefully good though), but any kind would be good. It was the missing piece in his new-built puzzle of whole another him – the last piece missing to be fixed completely, a piece SungGyu couldn’t give to him no matter how hard he would try.

Apart from that – he just had to know what had happened to SungYeol. Others had convinced him that what happened was not his fault, but deep in his heart he still felt guilty and he will forever feel guilty about that.

He had to do something and all he could do was to hope to receive any kind of news about his missing friend.

For a brief moment, he was considering asking twins for help, as they could probably find out something, but he was afraid to stir some sort of underground stream of secrets and start another set of misshapens. All that was left was waiting and in one night, it ended.

It was no different than any other night by its start – the diner had few customers, mostly school girls, as it was Friday and they were free the next day, which allowed them to stay out longer, and some regulars – nothing in particular.

SungGyu (whose hair were now in color of bronze, all traits of red disappeared from them) was either in the kitchen or behind the counter judging WooHyun’s flirting with customers, when the door bell rang, showing that new customers had entered the diner.

WooHyun straightened out his white apron, took his pen and notebook and tray, and headed to the table, his now usual bright smile on his face.

“Hello! Welcome to our restaurant. What could I…” he said cheerfully, but stopped mid sentence as he noticed who was sitting behind the table together with DongWoo, Hoya and a male he had never seen before (he would have remembered a face like that for sure).

SungYeol.

His hair had grown out long, reaching his shoulders and was in warm, caramel brown tone, black creeping out at the roots. He was definitely skinnier than he was the last time WooHyun saw him, but his chubby cheeks had stayed, not changing his cheerful and bright appearance. And by all WooHyun could see, he seemed… happy.

“SungYeol…” he finally managed to get other’s word pass his lips.

His hands started to shake. The tray started vibrating from his shaking hands and it seemed that all air from his lungs was drained out as he started to suffocate, fords being stuck in his throat.

“I…I…” he started to stammer, trying to get at least something to come out from his mouth, but failed miserably.

“We’ll take the usual only in double.” DongWoo said, placing his hand on WooHyun’s elbow, making the later to avert his eyes from SungYeol and look at the speaker.

DongWoo had a warming smile on his face and that calmed WooHyun down at least a little bit.

“O…Okay.” He stammered out, made a small bow and turned around, rushing back to the kitchen almost tripping over his own feet.

“What’s wrong?” SungGyu turned to him as soon as he entered the kitchen, clenching to his shirt above his heart and nearly hyperventilating.

“SungYeol… SungYeol’s here.” WooHyun couldn’t believe his own voice forming SungYeol’s name, not to mention pointing out that he was here.

“What?” SungGyu eyes went big and he immediately went to WooHyun, placing his hands on his shoulders. “Where?”

“There – in the hall. Together with DongWoo, Hoya and another guy I don’t know.” WooHyun started to shake, his eyes getting foggy.

“Is it really him?”

“Yes.” WooHyun nodded, his heart beating like fast. “I can’t go back. I can’t face him.” He stared to shake his head. He couldn’t even imagine that seeing someone he missed, someone he wanted to see just to be sure he’s okay would set him off like this.

“You waited and worried for so long…”

“I know.” WooHyun interrupted SungGyu mid sentence. “I just can’t.” he said, got out of SungGyu’s hold and rushed upstairs, tripping on the stairs and barely managing to catching himself on his hands and not land on the stairs face first.

He stumbled upstairs and straight went to his and SungGyu’s room and crawled under the blanket, pulling it over his head.

He couldn’t face SungYeol, just couldn’t. Yes, he was safe and alive and as it looked doing well, but that didn’t change the fact of what WooHyun did and how inhuman was that. He couldn’t just go there, smile and pretend that nothing had happened. Neither could he apologize as no words could convey how sorry he was, how he wish he could turn back time… But the harder he thought about it the more he realized he didn’t want to turn back time. That would mean returning to life fool of lies, deceiving, fakeness and… a life without SungGyu and that would be like being thrown in to the darkest and deepest abyss.

“WooHyun?” SungGyu’s voice spoke close to him and instead of reply WooHyun let out a sob, as without even noticing it he had let go of the held back tears.

“WooHyun…” SungGyu’s voice was now even closer and a hand was being placed on his shoulder over the blanket. “You need to meet him.”

“I can’t.” WooHyun whispered, tightening his grip on the blanket.

“You can and you need to.” SungGyu said trying to pull the blanket off WooHyun, yet other refused to let go.

“I’m not ready.”

“We both know you are…” SungGyu let go of the blanket at let out a sigh. “I promised to fix you and I did all I can.”  He held a small moment of silence. “But there are things I can’t fix, things only you can fix yourself and this is the one.” He took a deep breath and then let it out. “I can’t make you to go down and talk to them tho.” He stood up, as the voice furthered away. “But just so you know, I asked them to stay after closing and… I will at least try to fix this for you.” He said and soon WooHyun could hear the door of the room closing.

Fix this for him? Could SungGyu actually do it? Even more- could WooHyun allow him to so, even if he could?

He sat up and removed the blanket from his head.

It wouldn’t be right for him to ask or rather expect that from SungGyu as the later had already done so much.

This was something WooHyun had to do himself, but he was more than just afraid – he was terrified.

What if SungYeol hates him? What if he detests WooHyun as much as he used to detest himself? He had all reasons to do that, so it wouldn’t be a surprise. Yet SungYeol was never the one who held grudges for long, but this was something completely different from other times.

With a sigh WooHyun stood up and went to the living room, stopping by the window, focusing at the city scenery behind it, before focusing on his own reflection.

He was no longer the WooHyun he used to be.

5 months ago, when he almost like now, looked in to a window to see his reflection, he looked like a zombie, like someone whose life was drained away and could never be restored and that was exactly how he felt then as well – he didn’t have a thing and he felt like nothing as well.

Now, even though his eyes were red, traces of tears on his cheeks, he looked alive, he looked content and… happy. Stressed and slightly frightened – yes, but everything else had returned to him with usury. Wasn’t he really ready to set his scores with past once and for all?

He took a deep breath and turned away from the window, looking at the dim living room and the light coming from the kitchen downstairs.

He could do it… He had to.

WooHyun quietly went downstairs. According to the lack of noise, the diner was closed. Only few faint voices were coming from where everyone was sitting.

WooHyun took a deep breath and slowly started to move toward the table. His legs started to shake, a new set of tears of regret climbing up his throat and only when he was already at the table and everyone, including SungGyu who was sitting with them, were looking at him, he realized he didn’t have a plan. He let his instincts to lead him.

With earning stares from everyone, he kneeled on the floor and bowed to the ground.

“I’m sorry. I was an arrogant fool. I didn't even think when I said all that and I have no idea how much I hurt you. I am so sorry.” He said, not being able to hold back a sob, his forehead resting against the floor.

There was a moment of silence, before he heard SungYeol’s voice calling his name.

“WooHyun.” The later said, his hand gently touching WooHyun’s shoulder. By yet another instinct, WooHyun flinched, making other to draw his hand away.

“WooHyun~ah.” This time the speaker was SungGyu, his arms wrapping around WooHyun’s shoulders and pulling him up straight in his lap, doing his best to calm him down, but just like the first time SungGyu held him like this, WooHyun just couldn’t stop his tears from coming, until another pair of arms wrapped him in a hug he had actually missed for so long.

"It's ok. I'm fine and you're fine and that's all past and we should just forget it." SungYeol said and WooHyun quite automatically let his arms to entwine around SungYeol.

“I’m really sorry.” He whispered.

"I know. And I really forgive you." SungYeol said pulling out of the hug and giving WooHyun the same old big and bright gummy-smile to which WooHyun could only reply with a smile in return.

"I don't want to be a mood breaker, because this is really great, but my leg went numb." SungGyu said with a small hiss, as he was still WooHyun’s chair.

“Omo!” WooHyun jumped up from SungGyu’s lap and took a chair from another table, to sit next to the later and try to bring his leg back to life, just faintly listening to the conversation at the table, which switched to Japanese – between SungYeol and the never before seen guy – at one point.

"Would you two please stop cutting everyone else out of your conversations by switching the language?" DongWoo finally whined, making the barely understandable conversation between the two to end.

"Sorry." SungYeol smiled, which warmed WooHyun’s heart. He did miss that smile a lot. "Uuuum." He looked at WooHyun and then looked back at the guy sitting next to him. "Right! This is MyungSoo, my... more than a boyfriend." he said.

WooHyun eyes the dark haired male next to SungYeol for a moment. Something about him seemed extraordinary, but WooHyun couldn’t quite tell exactly what. It was something radiating from his distant and cold looks, something coming from his eyes, but he really couldn’t understand what it was.

Never the less, SungYeol’s eyes sparkled when he looked at him that meant he meant really a lot to the tall male and that was enough to know.

"Nice to meet you." WooHyun said with a smile. "Then, this is SungGyu - my more than a boyfriend." They all smiled (apart from MyungSoo, which seemed a bit strange) and SungGyu scratched the back of his head, looking away.

For a moment there was silence at the table, until WooHyun spoke again. "So, where were you for all this time?" he asked and SungYeol took a deep breath.

"It's a really long and... ugly story." he said and WooHyun noticed how the guy called MyungSoo tightens his grip on SungYeol’s hand.

"I think we have plenty of time." Hoya said and SungYeol took another deep breath, before telling the story WooHyun was afraid to hear. At one point SungGyu took his hand and WooHyun was quietly grateful for that.

“I’m so sorry about what happened before you met MyungSoo.” WooHyun said, his voice coming out quiet.

“We all are.” DongWoo said with a nod. “And I bet we all are thankful to MyungSoo, aren’t we?” he said, first looking at the said male and then at everyone else at the table, receiving approving nods.

“It has been a long, tiring night. How about we schedule other storied for a different one?” SungGyu said, his voice indeed being a bit too tired even for him.

“I agree.” WooHyun nodded and look at others.

“Yeah. We will continue some other time.” SungYeol said and stood up, MyungSoo standing up the same time as he did, others following his example.

“Then, till next time…” WooHyun said when SungYeol was standing in front of him, all of them standing by the door.

“Till next time.” SungYeol said before wrapping his long arms around WooHyun in a hug to which WooHyun responded right away.

They pulled away soon enough and soon he and SungGyu watched how they disappear in to the night.

“How are you feeling?” SungGyu asked, his arm going around WooHyun’s waist.

“Like… another person.” WooHyun nodded, moving closer to other, looking up.

“You mean – fixed – right?” SungGyu said looking down.

“Yeah. Fixed.” WooHyun nodded, wrapping his arms around SungGyu’s waist and resting his head on other’s shoulder.

He now indeed was an another person – another version of himself – a better, finally whole version and all thanks to the man standing next to him.

--------------

HI!
The last chapter is here. Title: NELL - In Days Go By (Slip Away, track 3)
I know many of you didn’t want this to end, but nothing can last forever, beside, I gave them just 5 months, as for now, everything starts to revolve around MyungSoo and SungYeol. (From HERE in ‘Can You Smile’)
As I am slowly thinking about what to write in the sequel for ‘CYS’, you will see this couple there as well. IDK when tho, because I have other ideas to write first. But I would like to encourage you to keep following my works here and follow me on twitter (@YoungSoonGi).

So, as for the least A/N, I would like to thank you all for hanging around and commenting, subscribing and everything.
Thank you and till new meetings.