“you…you…you what?”

Kyuhyun slowly sat down as he kept his eyes on Donghae who was standing less than 10 feet away from them. C didn’t know what to do. She was not just surprised; she was shocked about the maknae’s sudden confession…in a public place no less and with a loud volume.

KH (Kyuhyun): 허..형 (hu…hyung) what are you doing here?

Donghae was silent. He had no idea how to react to what he just heard. He was still frozen on his spot as he looked at the both of them. C suddenly stood up and ran towards him.

C: 오…오빠 (o…oppa)

DH (Donghae): 규현아…뭐라고? (Kyuhyun-ah…what did you say?)

Kyuhyun’s hands were balled into fists as he sat down stiff on his chair and stared at the older one who looked like he was about to cry.

KH: hyung…i…i…

He was at a loss of words. He couldn’t just admit the truth because that would instantly ruin their friendship and make things worse, a friendship it took years to build and he was not going to destroy that because of a girl.

DM (Donghae’s mom): 동해야 (Donghae-ya) I was wondering if -----oh 규현아 (Kyuhyun-ah) what are you doing here?

His mom suddenly turned up after coming from the ladies room. She was surprised to see Kyuhyun that she didn’t feel the awkward atmosphere surrounding everyone.

Kyuhyun was too petrified to say or do anything so instead of standing up to greet Hae’s mom, he just sat in the same place, frozen while staring at the older one who was about to burst into tears any second now.

DM: did I interrupt something? Oh and 누구세요 (who are you)?

C: 안녕 하세요 (hello)

She greeted and bowed at the elder one who was confused about everything that was going on because everyone was being quiet.

C: I’m C, their friend

DM: oh…nice to meet you, I’m Donghae’s mother

She smiled at her, trying to lift the awkward mood but it didn’t help because no one has said a word and because Kyuhyun became mute, the tension grew thicker.

DH: 가자 (let’s go)

Trying to hold back tears with a blank expression on his face, he grabbed C’s arm and dragged her out of the restaurant. Donghae’s mom was confused that she didn’t know where to go but seeing Kyuhyun being like a puppy that was hit with a rolled up newspaper, she sat at his table.

DM: son, are you okay? Do you mind telling me what just happened?

Kyuhyun couldn’t look at her. His eyes were glued to the table. If he looked at her, he could either burst into tears or do something he might regret. She held both of his hands and sighed.

DM: if you don’t want to tell me, it’s fine. Just so you know, we’re all your moms and you can come to us if you need someone to talk to.

Still quiet, he just nodded as she rubbed his hands and gave him warmth.

C: 오빠 (oppa)! Where are we going?

He slammed the car door and she watched him go around and take the driver’s seat. She was scared as she looked at him. Both of his hands were on the steering wheel but he was looking down at his lap. As silence filled the vehicle, she could tell he couldn’t hold back his tears anymore.

She slowly reached out for his right hand and entwined her fingers with his. He looked up at her with swollen eyes.

C: i…I don’t know what to say…this just….it was all so sudden

DH: …..

C: you don’t need to say anything. Let’s just go, let’s go somewhere. Far away from all of this

He wiped his tears and pulled out his phone. She leaned closer to see who he was texting. Then she leaned back again and watched the people outside battle with the snow.

“엄마 (mom), can we have lunch next time? I need to be alone now”

After reading her son’s message, she sighed and put down her phone on the table. Kyuhyun was still mute which was new to her since he always had a smart mouth.

C: where are we going?

DH: …..

He kept his eyes on the road and kept on driving. She sighed and stopped questioning him even though she didn’t quite understand it. She was the one who got the sudden confession; shouldn’t she be the one to be upset?

They kept on driving until they reached a deserted beach. The weather was freezing but that didn’t stop Donghae from walking towards the water, leaving C running after him.