In the cool night air and the silence of the playground, both of them relished the moment; their first moment of love. No more one sided pining and longing for the other’s embrace. Sungmin may have been trying to pry himself out of the embrace, but he wished to every god and deity out there for Kangin not to let go.

“Hyung, what are you doing?” Sungmin asks while trying to pry himself out of his Hyung’s embrace.

Kangin felt Sungmin try to get loose, so he embraces the younger tighter. “You have no idea how much I wanted to do this ever since I got back.”

The thought of letting go the person he’s loved for half a decade made him go weak.“I want to show you much I love you. Please don’t let go of me.” Kangin pleads.

Sungmin, already given up the fight to break free, still tries to convince his hyung to let go. “No hyung, we can’t do this. This isn’t right. Please let go of me.”

Kangin feeling that Sungmin is not anymore trying to break loose, loosens his hug and buries is head in the crook of the younger’s neck. “Do you hate me?” He asks Sungmin.

Feeling his hyung’s warm breath on his neck, Sungmin’s brain turns to mush; but he still manages to maintain coherency. “N-no, I don’t. Not at all hyung.” He answers immediately, albeit speaking timidly.

Still anxious for the Sungmin’s answers, he asks further. “Do you love me like I think you do?” whilst unconsciously tightening his embrace.

Sungmin, sensing the anxiety, holds his hyung’s hands. “You have no Idea how much I love you hyung; but we can’t do this.” He sadly says.

“Why not?! Is it our friends? Our parents?” Kangin worriedly asks the younger. “You already said you love me. Don’t fight it.” He tries to convince Sungmin.

Sungmin asks himself if this was really happening. The person he loved for more than five years, holding onto him tightly like he was going to disappear, professing his love. But still holding on to that little resolve, he still resists the feelings of love being given to him by his hyung.

“Yes hyung, but that’s not all. We can’t just get together and it’s going to be us against the world. We have careers. Careers that will get destroyed if they find out we’re gay.” His voice starts to get shaky as tears start to roll down his cheeks.

“I know how much you love being a performer. I’ve never seen you so happy on stage. I can’t take that away from you.” Sungmin tries to reason with his hyung.

“I’m prepared to throw that away, you know. You are more important to me than my career.” Kangin determinedly assures his dongsaeng.

Hearing that made him want to cry more. Not because of fear and sadness, but because of utter joy. The thought of his important person willing to throw away their fame, their popularity, their current life, just to be with him was euphoric. But the little voice in his subconscious kept reminding him that their fame was because of a group. They rose as a group, as a group they shall fall.

“How about the others, Hyung?” Sungmin, still hesitantly asks Kangin. “It’s not just us that are going to be affected; How about our group; the fame that we’ve worked for almost a decade just to be destroyed because of us?” His words end in an almost whisper.

Kangin stays silent because of the realization; his mind contemplating the true consequences of his actions. But despite thought of having to choose the group over his beloved, he still does not let go of his embrace.

“You do know we can work around that Minnie?” both heads snapped to the direction of the familiar voice of their leader.

Seeing their leader come out of the shadows was relieving and disconcerting at the same time; relieving because frankly, Kangin was at a loss. He was not going to be able to answer Sungmin’s question. He was thankful that Leeteuk came out at that moment; scary for Sugmin because he assumes that Leeteuk was there the whole time. It could’ve been anyone; a fan, a news reporter, a gossip column writer, or worse, their parents. He was thankful just the same that it was their leader who was hiding.

“Hyung? Since when did you know? Does anybody else know?” Sungmin asks his leader; but still surprised at his sudden appearance.

“We figured it out even before he even admitted it to himself.” Leeteuk points to the man who’s latched on to him like a koala. “As for who knows, it’s just me, Heechul, and Yesung; I think.” The leader informs him.

Sungmin’s mind was going on overdrive. He wasn’t that surprised because he thinks the leader most likely already knows the whole situation; knowing his sharp leader is more than capable of discovering secrets, but is also more than incapable of keeping them is what was making his mind go crazy. His mind is now wondering if the others also knew as well.

“How can we work around it hyung?” Kangin asks his leader; interested in his suggestion.

“It’s easy actually. You two come clean to the group and we’ll all cover up for you.” Leeteuk responds with a cheeky smile.

The moment Leeteuk suggested it, the two wore very different expressions; Kangin was smiling because of amazement and because he was asking himself ‘why haven’t I thought of that?’ whereas Sungmin was wide-eyed because of shock and horror.

“W-what hyung? Tell the others? I can’t.” Sungmin protests to his hyung.

“Why Minnie? Don’t you trust us?” Leeteuk asks.

Sungmin was taken aback by his leader’s question. Of course he trusted his group mates. Over the years, their bond became as strong as brothers, even more than that. He trusted them with his life. But he doesn’t want to be the reason for their group’s downfall. He believes that the less people who know the better it is.

“Of course I do. But the more of us who know, the more likely it is that the secret will get out.  We’ve sacrificed too much for our careers and I will not let this be the reason for us to go down.” Sungmin reasons to his hyung.

Leeteuk understands the dilemma of his dongsaeng. But what he really wanted was for these problems to be solved before he left. He won’t be able to sleep soundly at night knowing something as big as that was going on within the group.

“I understand what you feel; but don’t underestimate the others. They’re very sharp when it comes to those things. They might already know but are just waiting for you to tell them.” He adds.

“Yeah, don’t underestimate us, Minnie-hyung.” Comes the voice of the eternal maknae.

The three were more than surprised to see the eternal maknae standing before them. They all thought he was sleeping back at the dorms with the others. This time, Sungmin’s mind was racing. What if what they were talking about got out. Ryeowook, sensing his group mate’s concern.

With a cheeky smile, Ryeowook assures his hyung. “Hyung, don’t worry. No one’s around. It’s only me. Trust me. I checked.”

All three blew out a sigh of relief; apparently thinking the same thing. But Kangin, curious; asks his dongsaeng.

“Ryeowook? How long have you been there?”

“I’ve been here since you were being pushed by Minnie-hyung in the swings.” Ryeowook nonchalantly states.

“Wait, that was about the same time I got here.” Leeteuk amazed by his dongsaeng’s sneakiness.

“Of course, I followed you when you went out to follow Kangin and Minnie-hyung. I was just pretending to be asleep.” Ryeowook proudly says.

The eternal maknae, remembering what the three were talking about before he came, wanted to help his hyung make the decision. He’s been watching his hyung for years now and he’s never seen him so happy after Kangin returned. But suddenly he went back to being too happy. He knows that when his hyung was trying too hard to be happy, it means that he was really depressed and was trying to hide it from his group mates.

It wasn’t that hard to put the pieces together. He saw those nights when Sungmin would just look out the window with that look of longing in his face, apparently waiting for Kangin to return. That look of sadness in his eyes when Kangin started to avoid him a couple of weeks back; and that look he made when Kangin introduced his girlfriend. What he wanted to do was to help his hyung get the happiness he deserves.

“Hyung, I know you’re worried about the group; but trust me, they will want you to be happy too. In two years, we’ve never seen you so happy.” Ryeowook assuredly tells his troubled hyung.

Hearing those words from the eternal maknae made his heart fly. At last happiness was at his fingertips. But that little voice, that poison that brewed inside his head for half a decade, kept reminding him of his selfishness.

“What if they find out, huh? Your precious fans will be disgusted. The hardwork done by your group will be destroyed because of you. Your brothers will hate you. Are you sure you want to risk it Minnie?”

“But I’m scared.” Sungmin suddenly declares.

“We know hyung; that’s why we’re here. We’ll always be by your side.” Ryeowook smiles at his hyung.

Hearing those comforting words coming from his friends helped him realize that he was not alone; that he was never alone. The poison in his heart slowly being replaced by the kind and loving words of his group mates; his heart feels like its flying. It felt too good to be true.

Just to make sure, he asks his friends one more time “Really?”

“Duh, we’re your brothers; and for sure Kangin is going to there for you, so I think you’re going to be just fine.” Leeteuk cheerily assures his dongsaeng.

The tension now being lifted, Ryeowook started to do what he came here to do in the first place; tease the two.

With a teasing grin directed at his hyungdeul, he asks Kangin. “But he’s not yet your boyfriend Minnie-Hyung; you haven’t answered Kangin-hyung yet. So you should ask him again hyung.”

Sungmin, realizing his current position; which was still embraced tightly by Kangin, blushes crimson because of the teasing grin directed at him by Ryeowook and because of the thundering heartbeat that he was feeling coming from the person behind him.

“Yah! Stop teasing Wookie.” Sungmin weakly reprimands the eternal maknae.

“Hahaha! How about no, hyung? That blush on your face is simply priceless.” Ryeowook was now clutching his stomach because of laughing too much.

Suddenly Kangin turns Sungmin around; and what Sungmin sees surprises him; a blushing Kangin.

“He’s right you know, I haven’t asked you properly yet. So? Lee Sung Min, will you be my uhh…”

Kangin’s sentence was cut off because he was pondering on what term to use. Sungmin was definitely not a girl so the term girlfriend will not be appropriate. Sensing this, Sungmin finishes his sentence for him.

“Uhh… lover?”

Satisfied with the word given to him, Kangin cheekily smiles to his now lover. “Yeah, let’s go with that.”

“Yes –ummph” Sungmin does not even get to finish his response because his lips were now being assaulted by Kangin’s and he couldn't do anything but embrace his now lover and return the kiss.

“Awww… that’s so sweet. Let’s go home Wookie, we can tease them tomorrow.” Leeteuk guides the eternal maknae back to the dorms.

In the playground,

past midnight,

with the moon, the stars,

and two of their closest friends as witness,

their love story starts.

-End

A/N: 5,464 words on Word. 12 pages. My longest work yet. (and proud of it! \o/)

uwaaaah! at last it is finished! to everyone that waited for this to come out, this is for you! :D

I hope I did not disappoint, I assure you, this is just the beginning.

More stories will come.

So I hope you stay tuned for more.

Thank you and I love you all so much. *glomps*

-Akira ♥