Kyuhyun resisted the urge to run his fingers through his hair so as to not mess up the thick layers of gel that the stylists had liberally applied just for his hair to stay down. He plucked grumpily at the duo-patterned shirt that he was wearing before checking his phone for the millionth time that day. Zhou Mi hadn't called him since they went out for drinks two or three weeks ago, he didn't even remember. The days were all starting to blur together in a mess of recordings and dance routines now and he wasn't even sure what he had for lunch that day. Or was lunch after this photoshoot?

After that text Zhou Mi had sent him with no mention whatsoever of their kiss, Kyuhyun had tried, and failed, to call Zhou Mi every free minute he had, only to be hung up on or waved off with a 'Kui Xian I'm busy now I'll call you back later,' as soon as he opened his mouth to even mention the kiss. He was frustrated to say the least, this was akin to taking a baby step forward and then running for his life backwards. He knew Zhou Mi was avoiding him but he couldn't do anything more than dial those same numbers every time he had a spare moment. The schedules were too overbearing and there was no way he could spare a few hours to go down to his apartment. 

Kyuhyun groaned and let his head sink onto the arms resting on his knees. Life was too hard. 

A small commotion caught his attention and he looked up from his corner where he was currently hibernating in an attempt to cool himself down. Heechul was ing about his hair again and Hankyung was boredly trying to placate him, already to used to his many antics. It was entirely too warm for everything and he wondered if it was a good idea to strip off his shirt like Shindong and Sungmin were taking off their jackets. His mind went blank for awhile when he realised Sungmin only had a plain white shirt underneath. The man looked good, he acknowledged, bulked up a lot since their last album and he his lips unconsciously before mentally slapping himself out of it. 

Exactly what did he think he was doing? Looking at someone who he was tired of and was behind him now? He bet it was the heat getting to him because there was no way Sungmin looked this good when they were still together.

Shaking himself, Kyuhyun keyed in a couple of numbers into his phone and tried again, hanging up the minute he heard the familiar voicemail message. 

Kyuhyun looked down at the spikes on his wrist cuff and wondered if he could impale himself on them and save himself all the trouble. 

-

Sungmin scratched lazily at his neck as he waited for his turn to be photographed for the album jacket. He had been wearing this infernal leather jacket for the past few hours as they all took turns in front of the camera but it was getting entirely too warm for his taste and he wanted out of it. He nearly did take it off about an hour ago but a stylist had yelled at him not to get creases in the expensive jacket and he had hastily shrugged it back on. The wrath of the stylists should not be suffered, he could be put into a pair of rainbow pants for their next concept and he would only have himself to blame for the fiasco. Though it should be said that him being him, his fashion wasn't all that great either. Sungmin sighed. 

Eunhyuk looked over at him sympathetically but Sungmin growled at him. He was the lucky one in a wifebeater. He groaned again and let his head sink onto Donghae's bare shoulder. Another lucky bastard, he whined in his head. They should all go topless, that would make for a great concept. They could be called y Junior. Sungmin didn't care anymore.

Sungmin thought he dozed off for awhile there, perspiration dripping off his nose before it was Donghae's turn and he was jerked unceremoniously off his shoulder. Pouting, he glared at Donghae skipped off to the photoshoot area, willing the air conditioning to get colder or for his jacket to get miraculously thinner or disappear altogether. Siwon appeared and sat on the chair next to him, grinning his mega watt smile and offered up his shoulder instead.

'It's not fair Siwon-ah,' Sungmin whined somemore as his forehead hit the thin cotton material of Siwon's blazer. 'I was put on this earth to suffer I really was. I'm going to suffer from heat and die here right now.'

Siwon patted his shoulder soothingly, 'At least you're up soon. Ryeowookie's not due for a couple of turns more. Yesung hyung is trying to keep him from dehydrating.'

And then before he knew it, his name was called and he trudged to where the cameras were set up, barely caring anymore as the stylists clucked their tongues over him, wiping his perspiration and reapplying his foundation. Once in front of the camera and listening to their title track, he automatically leaned into familar poses, looking away from the camera sultrily as he played with the leather bands on his wrist. He refrained from smiling too much because he thought the effort was going to consume too much energy and he needed that energy to keep from falling asleep in this heat. Following the directions of the photographer as he just followed the poses detachedly, Sungmin just focused on not perspiring through the leather jacket or smudging his eye makeup.

He was so focused he didn't notice the two pairs of eyes watching him from the sidelines.

-

Finally, the stylists took pity on him and gave him a loose button down to change into. Nearly crying in relief, Sungmin stripped down in the middle of the hallway and shrugged into the shirt gratefully. Yelping as Shindong tried to pinch at his sensitive side, he swatted the man off laughingly.

'Yah! Trying to take advantage of me when I'm helpless?'

'Helpless?' Shindong snorted. 'You'd have me flat on my back within two seconds. And they say I'm the bully.' He wrinkled his nose before grinning and disappearing into the snack room, escaping Sungmin's feigned gasp of horror. 

Heechul slung an arm over Sungmin's shoulder and the man jumped. 

'You scared me!'

'Why? Expecting someone else?'

'No,' Sungmin pouted and Heechul ruffled up his hair at the cute.

'The noonas are going to kill you,' Sungmin grinned.

Heechul waved his hands airily, 'You could be going for the y bed head look anyway. And people deny the fact that I am God. Look what I've transformed you into!' He blatantly ignored the fact that Sungmin was muttering under his breath, 'I don't see you snapping your fingers and giving me this body I worked hard for it myself.'

'You have become such an improvement. Hyung is so proud. And becoming an exhibitionist I see?' Heechul twisted his finger in the collar of Sungmin's ed shirt and pulled it aside.

Sungmin whined and tugged his shirt closed, 'Hyung!'

'I'm not complaining. Geng has been letting himself go lately so I'm going to shamelessly stare at everyone else with a good body, namely you, Teukie hyung, Siwonnie - Siwonnie!' Heechul shoved Sungmin aside and latched onto Siwon's muscular arm as he passed on by.

Siwon jumped, startled out of his reverie before grinning at the both of them and covering his mouth with a hand. 'You guys scared me.'

'His fault,' Sungmin pointed at Heechul from where he was leaning against the wall and laughed. 'Nothing to do with me. Run along kids don't use up all my free space.'

Heechul huffed, 'This is the thanks I get. Come on Siwon-ah let's go somewhere else where our beauty will be more appreciated.' 

Sungmin watched as poor Siwon was dragged off to the main photoshoot space and stuck out his tongue playfully. Yawning as he tried to flatten down and minimise the damage Heechul did to his hair, he made his way to the dressing rooms, praying that the air was going to be cooler there. Peeking in around the edge of the door, he realised that no one else was inside and breathed a sigh of relief before throwing himself onto the couch.

After about ten minutes of rolling around and trying to take a nap, Sungmin got up to grab his phone off his table when he stopped short and his fingers reached out tentatively to touch the bouquet of sunflowers on his seat. It was enormous and Sungmin strained to lower it onto the floor, before he plopped down next to it and examined it. The bouquet was threaded through with the prettiest white flowers that were no bigger than his thumbnail and they made a nice contrast next to the bright yellow of the sunflowers. Sungmin's mouth was still open as he turned the bouquet around until he found the card, which he snatched up immediately. Flipping the plain, nondescript white card open, his eyes scanned the simple two-lined text.

'You look beautiful when you smile. 
So I'll always be making you smile.
- Your secret admirer'

His features softened into his trademark smile as he reached out again to brush his fingers against the bright flowers, before leaning down to inhale deeply. The members were right, there were always other people. People who wouldn't hesitate to do all they could to make him smile. Sungmin inhaled the fresh smell again, before settling back onto his heels and grinning giddily at the bouquet like it was genuine sunshine. 

The figure at the door smiled to himself and closed the door gently, making sure he didn't make a sound. He was happy, just seeing Sungmin happy. 

The bright smile never left Sungmin's face, even as he sat the bouquet on his lap in the van on their way back home to the dorms, even as Shindong and Eunhyuk kept poking fun at him and trying to guess who his secret admirer was, even as Donghae plucked out a single sunflower and stuck it behind Sungmin's ear before cooing at it, even as Heechul complained about how all this sappiness was going to give his skin pimples; Sungmin didn't care.

Sungmin was happy.

-

I asked my previous readers to guess who the secret admirer was but since you guys are getting the chapter immediately I guess it won't matter :D