Eunhyuk and Sungmin were on the way to the airport. Eunhyuk was fetching Sungmin to the airport and he was grumbling along the drive.

“You should have let me come with you to Hokkaido. Look at all the equipment and stuff you have to carry by yourself,” Eunhyuk griped.

“I can manage by myself. Don’t worry Hyukkie. I’m sure the other staff would help me,” Sungmin assured him.

“Like that selfish, obnoxious, snobbish fish-ahjusshi who was occupying the exercise machine,” Eunhyuk complained.

“You mean Donghae-ssi?”

“Whatever his name is, Donghae, Seohae, Namhae, I don’t care,” Eunhyuk spat.

“He’s really a nice guy. He’s friendly towards me,” Sungmin defended. “I just don’t know why both of you are so antagonistic towards one another.”

“He behaved arrogantly towards the counter staff at the check-in counter and at the car rental kiosk back in Jeju. And we were supposed to have a car with an open-top but he was the one who snatched it away from us,” Eunhyuk groused.

“Actually, he didn’t use the card. It was for Kyuhyun. You remember Kyuhyun, right?” Sungmin asked.

“The guy with the tousled hair and model girlfriend? The chief editor?”

Sungmin nodded.   

“Tsk. Tsk. He looks like another arrogant snob,” Eunhyuk hissed. “I’m really worried about you. You’ll be working with a bunch of weirdoes and jerks. Maybe I should purchase a ticket at the airport...”

“Hyukkie, I’ll be fine. Kyuhyun is also a nice guy. In fact, I just found out that he’s our junior from high school. I worked with him before when he was in the press club. Well, sort of,” Sungmin explained.

“Oh! But you never mentioned anything about him back then...”

Sungmin shrugged. “I didn’t have much contact with him back then in high school.”

“I still don’t like him. As I said, I hate people who have their nose on their heads.”

“He’s really fine, Hyukkie. I can handle much more difficult people than a snob. Besides the previous work experience went well. And we’ve spoken about the concepts, so that shouldn’t be a problem.”

“I think I’ll buy a ticket and join you in Hokkaido. Maybe tomorrow. I’ll cancel my classes...” Eunhyuk rattled.

“Hyukkie, it’s alright. Besides all the accommodation has been settled. I’ll be in a single room. You won’t be able to squeeze in. The hotels might be full too. You might not be able to get a room even if you’re willing to pay for one,” Sungmin dissuaded.

“Why didn’t they get a larger room for you? You’re the photographer! You’re important to them! That said. That fish guy is such a scrooge. He refused to reimburse us for the full expenses of our trip. We had to cough out some money from our own pockets. It was promised that they would pay for the accommodation as well,” Eunhyuk griped.

“Well, you had to go book an expensive hotel when there were cheaper options available. Of course he wouldn’t pay. We were taking advantage.”

“But still...” Eunhyuk sighed. “Alright you win. I can’t argue with you. You’re such a nice guy that you always tend to look on the good and bright side of things.”

Not long after, Eunhyuk pulled into the road leading to the airport and stopped the car. He helped Sungmin unload the bags and reluctantly wished Sungmin a bon voyage before seeing Sungmin disappear into the sea of people.

......

The whole bevy of crew descended on the town of Furano in Hokkaido and headed to one of the farms for the shoot. It was summer and the flowers were in full bloom and the flowers were grown nicely in rows. It was a lilac sea of lavender and the air was scented with a refreshing and calming scent that made the summer heat and humidity bearable.

It was at the farm that Sungmin met up with Kris again after a few years.

Kyuhyun and Donghae escorted Kris over to meet with Sungmin so that they could at least communicate before the shoot began.

And it was a surprise for the two magazine editors when they saw that Kris was all smiles as he took large strides towards Sungmin.

“Sungmin-hyung,” Kris greeted Sungmin cheerfully and brightly which was followed by a hug.

“It’s been a while. How are you doing?” Kris asked before finally letting go of Sungmin.

 “Yes, it’s been a while. I’m doing quite fine. What about yourself? Your popularity has grown a lot over these two years. I’ve thought you’ve forgotten about me,” Sungmin jested. 

Kris replied with a hearty laugh. “Hyung, that wouldn’t be so easy.”

Just then Donghae and Kyuhyun stepped in. Kyuhyun remarked, “Looks like you two do know each other quite well. I guess I don’t need to say anything then. I trust that you both would work well together.”

Kris turned to look at the chief editor with his usual cool, ‘I don’t give a care’ facade and nodded his head.

Kyuhyun understood the message and stalked off. He was wise enough to know that it was best not to say anything. He trusted that Sungmin had everything under control and would know how to communicate and work with Kris.

Kris returned to the conversation he had with Sungmin, choosing to ignore Donghae who was still hovering around in curiosity.

“So when was the last time we worked together?” Kris asked.

“More than one and a half years I guess,” Sungmin offered.

“I was still quite new to the industry then,” Kris said. “Thankfully, you managed to make me look good.”

“Well, you are a born model and you have a natural talent for modelling. So it was actually your own effort,” Sungmin praised. “Anyway, I’m sure you’ve heard about today’s concept?”

Kris nodded his head.

“Let me go through with you what I’m looking at and expecting from today’s shoot,” Sungmin continued as Kris listened intently like an obedient schoolboy and nodded his head in understanding while Sungmin briefed him.

Donghae could not quite believe this sight not with all the bad reputation surrounding Kris. In fact Donghae observed that Kris seemed to be shooting admiring looks at Sungmin. Not that Donghae cared what Kris’ and Sungmin’s relationship was or whether they are gay, but his ears pricked when he heard a sudden name that sent a shudder down him.

“It’s really nice to work with you again, Sungmin hyung,” Kris piped up when Sungmin finished his briefing. “I thought I would see you at the wake or funeral for Siwon sunbae-nim. But you didn’t show up. I thought both of you were close.”

“Siwon...that name is familiar...funeral...don’t tell me...?” Donghae wondered as he trembled.

Kris’ question caused Sungmin to become crestfallen. The smile disappeared and was replaced by a forlorn, sad mien.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have probed,” Kris quickly apologised.

Sungmin shook his head and muttered, “I’m fine. It wasn’t possible for me to show up.”

Kris seemed to understand Sungmin’s meaning and only nodded his head.

It was then Donghae butted in and asked inquisitively, “Who’s this Siwon that we’re talking about? Are you referring to...Choi...?”

Kris turned towards Donghae and rolled his eyes in displeasure. “I didn’t know you were here. Why were you listening to our conversation? Yes, I was referring to Choi Siwon sunbae-nim. I’m sure you heard about him since you’re working in the industry.”

“Do you know him?” Donghae quizzed nervously.

“Of course I do,” Kris replied with a tone of annoyance.

“I don’t mean you. I meant Sungmin-ssi,” Donghae clarified.

“Why are you so nosy? It’s none of your business,” Kris rebuked.

“Kris,” Sungmin chided gently. “Don’t be too rude to Donghae-ssi.”

Kris bowed his head in apology without uttering a word. He quickly excused himself to get ready for the shoot leaving Sungmin with Donghae.

“So Donghae-ssi, what do you want to know about Siwon?” Sungmin asked cautiously.

“Like do you know him? If you do, how close were you to him?” Donghae rattled off.

Sungmin looked curiously at Donghae and paused for thought. “Well, he was a close friend. We knew each other since university days. We were close.”

Sungmin responded rather vaguely without going too much into the details.

And then without much thought, Donghae blurted out another question, “What about the monkey lookalike friend of yours I met at the gym the other day? Are you two close friends?”

The moment Donghae realised what he had asked, he wanted to dig a hole and bury himself in it.

Sungmin chuckled. “You seem interested in who my friends are, Donghae-ssi. Isn’t that weird?

Feeling embarrassed, Donghae quickly muttered, “I think Kyuhyun should be looking for me. I better get going.”

As Donghae turned away, Sungmin said, “I don’t know why you’re asking about my friends. But anyway, Eunhyuk has been a good friend of mine since my childhood.”

“I also think both of you would look good together,” Sungmin teased.

Donghae turned back in horror and exclaimed, “I’m not...”

He halted himself before he could say the word ‘gay’, turned around and scampered off leaving behind a bemused Sungmin.

......

Kyuhyun was observing the shoot while Donghae was pacing up and down next to the chief editor.

“Hyung, what’s wrong with you? You’re distracting me,” Kyuhyun asked, feeling slightly annoyed.

Donghae was acting weirdly. He was mumbling to himself. But Kyuhyun was more focused on the shoot, so when Donghae finally stopped and mumbled a reply, Kyuhyun did not really hear what the managing editor said.

Perhaps I should tell Kyuhyun about Choi Siwon? But he doesn’t remember anything about the accident. Maybe ignorance is bliss for him. It’s better for him not to know. But Sungmin-ssi knows Choi Siwon. Would Sungmin-ssi mention about what had happened in front of Kyuhyun? He’s after all Choi Siwon’s good friend. Wait! Does Sungmin-ssi even know about what had happened? It appears he doesn’t. If he knows Kyuhyun is somehow involved with Siwon’s accident, would he still be able to work with Kyuhyun. I think I better keep my mouth shut on this for now.

Donghae could remember getting a call from Victoria on the day of the accident and immediately rushed down to the hospital.

Donghae was quite fond of Kyuhyun. He found the chief editor to be enthusiastic and capable in his work. He might have quite a sharp tongue but he certainly knew what he wanted as chief editor. He had a vision and direction for the magazine. He admired how dedicated Kyuhyun was to the job, working long hours despite his ill health, attending photo shoots in person, attending industry events. And under Kyuhyun, the magazine was given a refresh and their readership figures and subsequently their advertisement figures rose.

Thus Donghae was concerned when news of Kyuhyun being involved in an accident broke. But the situation proved to be more severe than he thought when he arrived at the hospital. Kyuhyun’s heart was degenerating and failing him. His life was in danger. Donghae wept that evening. He wondered how life could be so unfair and cruel to the promising young man

Just then, a piece of good news came up. Kyuhyun could receive a heart transplant. This brought joy to his family, to Victoria and to himself.  

Kyuhyun had some vague memories of the accident when he finally woke up. But in order to help him concentrate on his recovery and not to let the burden and guilt of the accident trouble and upset Kyuhyun, Kyuhyun’s parents decided to let Kyuhyun undergo hypnosis so that he could forget the incident.

Kyuhyun took about two months to recover. The company however was happy to keep the position for him as they deployed another editor from a sister publication to stand in for Kyuhyun for the time being.

Yes, Donghae thought to himself. It would be much better that Kyuhyun didn’t remember anything about the accident or anything related to Choi Siwon. And he hoped Lee Sungmin wouldn’t be able to connect Kyuhyun to the incident.

Donghae wanted to protect Kyuhyun. He did not want Kyuhyun to undergo emotional distress if he finds out about the incident. That might be bad for his health. And working with Lee Sungmin would increase the chance of him finding out.

Donghae needed to do something. He needed Lee Sungmin to stop working with Cho Kyuhyun. But he wondered how. 

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So Kris appears in this chapter. Anyone wants to wager a guess on what sort of role Kris would play in this series?

And Donghae...will he try to break up the KyuMin couple? Do you think he's interested in Eunhyuk?

Thanks for the all comments and subscriptions. Please keep them coming. 

My other fan fics

Heaven's Boys 

KyuMin: Almost a love story

KyuMin: 60 Days 

It's You (너라고) Neorago (a YeWook fan-fic)