Characters: Kyuhyun, Donghae, Sungmin & Sunny

 

Sub Characters: Henry, Siwon & Heechul

 

Main Pairings: KyuHae

 

Sub Parings: KyuMin & SunHae

 

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama &

 

(Note: Some Surname changes such as Song Heechul and Bae Sungmin it’s just a way from all of them to have different surnames so none of them would have the same last name to be called at.)

 

Storyline:

After 10 years Donghae thought he’d moved on from his first love but as he worked as a manga editor for SM Publishing he would then encounter him again but this time Kyuhyun was courting him back for them to have their relationship back, would Donghae tell him again that he loves Kyuhyun?

 

 

Donghae was so exhausted with what he did all night, “I’m so sleepy… I guess reading 100 Shoujo Manga in one night is way too much”. “And when I think of how I have to spend my entire day inside the garbage dumb that is the editing department, my stomach gets all churned up”. “Good Morning” he greeted without looking at them

 

“Good Morning Lee-shi” the two greeted him with a radiant aura

 

Donghae was stunned “Oh, I’m sorry; I’ve come to the wrong place, the emerald editing department is~” he was about to walk out but one of them grabbed him

 

“Ahahaha, what’re you talking about? Its right here, isn’t it?” he brightly said

 

He turned to take a gander; to his surprise it was all coloured pink in the department, “We’re sorry for neglecting you yesterday”

 

“We’re finished with the dead manuscripts, so everything’s fine now” they beamed out a bright smile (Note: Dead Manuscripts are horrible drafts sent to print before the usual deadline. This is what bad authors do)

 

 

They were all refresh

 

 

“I heard this was your first time editing manga, but don’t worry we’ll teach you everything” they both shimmered brightly but Kyu doesn’t seem to mind the two

 

Hae felt awkward with the way they’re acting “Ah, please excuse me, I need to go to the restroom” he went off and grabbed someone he found on the way

 

He dragged the man until they’re at the restroom, “Stop it! I’m not a member of your department!” the guy shouted

 

Hae whispered to the guy who he took out of nowhere, “I know that. I’m sorry. But I just have to ask. I can see just fine, but what the hell was that?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“If I remember correctly, that place was a dump yesterday. But today it’s spotless. That part was great but what I don’t understand is how all the zombies turned into a bunch of energetic men? Exactly what is that freakishly pink editing office?!” he burst out the question

 

“Oh, that’s because they’ve reached the end of the period” he answered right away

 

“Period….? What’s that? Someone said that to me yesterday” he curiously asked

 

“You know about the 20-day Japanese radish right? The ones you can harvest 20 days after planting the seeds? They’re just like that” he explained metaphorically

 

“Huh?” he was still puzzled

 

“They usually create a book within a 20-day period” he went straight on

 

“It goes something like this”

 

The Process of editing

 

1.      Check plot (Seeding) still normal

2.      Check outline (Leaves) still okay

3.      Check rough sketch (Leaves) getting bad

4.      Get the manuscript (Growing) not returning home

5.      A. Good manuscript handed normally (Growing even more) not showering

B. Bad manuscript handed in quite late

C. Impossibly bad manuscript

6.      Check blueprint (Grown a lot) not sleeping

7.      Finish proof-reading (Fully grown) on the verge of dying

 

“An when it’s all over… they emerge refreshed. The guys who managed to do it once again this month”

 

Donghae was quite speechless with what he had told him “And the editing department is pink because?”

 

“It’s like the saying “When in Rome, do as the romans do” he explained further “Cho-shi’s policy is to have editors start by familiarizing themselves with the environment so they can understand young women’s feelings, so that we can sympathize with the consumers”

 

“Well, it’s a proven and well-established department so I’m sure it’ll do you good to stay there” he positively said

 

“A-Although there are many legends surrounding it… hahahaha….” He laughed hollowly

 

“Legends…? Such as…?” he wondered

 

“Oh God don’t make me say it!” he frigidly spoke out

 

It startled Hae “You should do your best regardless but just know that everyone calls those guys the maiden department!” Hae felt chills with what he said “Maiden?”

 

 

~~~ooo0ooo~~~

He then got back to the department

~~~ooo0ooo~~~

 

 

“I knew it”, “Photo-typesetting comes in sheets like this. So you have to plaster paper cement on the back, cut them out and paste them” he tried it out

 

“When there are words above the picture, use a tracing paper first before pasting the picture over it” they guy instructed “I might want to quit”

 

“Even though digital manuscripts are the norm nowadays, phototypesetting is one of the basics you should know. Be careful to stay within the lines there” the guy pointed out

 

“Okay” he carefully cut out the part

 

“They say if you don’t stay within the lines while phototypesetting, it means your heart is also out of line” he gave a wife’s tale

 

“Lau, you went out-side the line just the other day” Kyu spoke from behind

 

Henry turned with disbelief “No way, for real? Where…?”

 

Kyu showed the papers “This month’s issue, page 12, the 3^rd frame. The phototypesetting of the first speech bubble was off by 1 mm to the right” he elaborated his flaw

 

“If you noticed, then why didn’t you say so before it went to print?!” he furiously said

 

Hae was fully focused with his work “Is something wrong?” Siwon asked

 

“Ah, no… I’m just wondering if this author was running out of time or something” he guessed

 

“Huh…? Why…?” he cooed to take a look

 

“The two-page spread here is all white, and this frame here only uses tone with the words written directly on top” he pointed out “It’s almost as if~ she omitted” he was knocked off and felt a ruler hit his cheek

 

“YOU FOOL!” Kyu screamed after he threw the ruler in his face

 

“What are you doing?! Bastard…!” he yelled why he was hit by the ruler

 

“That’s what we call the maiden’s heart-grabbing frame!” he pointed out the answer

 

“Heart grabbing?” he wondered

 

“That’s right look!”

 

“This is the scene where the main character and her partner finally confess their feelings for each other after refusing to give in for so long” Hae looked onto the manga

 

“It’s easier for readers to sympathize with the heroine when it’s told in the first person”

 

“So that’s why it’s important to let the readers know that it’s coming, it’s coming. And let them anticipate the scene. For example, we can enlarge the text to ramp up anticipation and when our readers are at the edge of their seats we strike in one fell swoop… Do you understand this feeling?” he concluded

 

He turned to back to the manga “Not one bit”

 

“No, I understand what they’re trying to say. But why it that those kinds of scenes always have white backgrounds is and why does they always has to use so many tones? I really don’t see why they always have to make the hair and clothes flutter when there’s no wind or why they have to make the characters sparkle so much… why do characters with black hair suddenly have toned hair in those situations?”

 

 

He still continued to work on why it was like that “Besides, I know it’s just a manga, but how can the main character achieve happiness so easily? Well, I’m sure that only happens because it’s a manga”

 

“Is the reason why I think reality’s so harsh… because I’ve never been in a real relationship?”

 

“I used to believe in saying like you’ll be rewarded as long as you do the best you can and your feelings will definitely be reciprocated someday, should I be glad to have discovered that those are only deceptions or not?”

 

“if that’s what it means to become an adult, I guess it’s not a bad thing, but it is awfully depressing. Then again, it’s not like I’m pessimistic or anything. I’m just moving forward without looking back” he felt a hand ruffled his hair

 

Hae suddenly turn to see Kyu who was ruffling his hair “You know, I really feel like we’ve met somewhere before, Did you change your hairstyle or something? But I can’t recall where”

 

Hae then slapped his hand away “Don’t just touch me like that”, “Well, we do live in the same town and have been working in the same industry, so I’m sure there were times when we passed each other by change. Maybe at a printing agency or something” he irritatingly said

 

“Yeah” Kyu then agreed “Your right maybe that’s it”

 

“Huh? Hae… what are you planning to do with our company’s catalogues?” Henry asked

 

Hae then wondered the sudden nickname “Oh, since this is my first time working with manga, I was thinking about memorizing all the manga our company has published”

 

It shocked him “For real? You do realize that our company has published thousands of books, right?”

 

“Well I’m planning to read all of them, not just memorize their titles, so I’m sure it’ll be fine” he smiled with confidence

 

“Holy crap…! There’s no way I could do that” he compared

 

“Oh, but I used to read all the books at my school when I was a student, it was my hobby” it hit Kyu like a ton of bricks and snapped his head towards Hae and it caught his attention

 

“What is it?”

 

“… Nothing…”

 

Hae felt irritated “What’s with him? He must be thinking that it’s normal to memorize the names of the products or something. I don’t expect praise and I do think I need to do it” he grumbled in his mind

 

“It’s a big handicap for me to be a manga editor when I don’t read manga myself, and I’m fully aware that I have to develop my skills. But I think this is better than doing nothing. I don’t want people to think that I’m useless”

 

~~~ooo0ooo~~~

It was late and everyone was nearly gone

~~~ooo0ooo~~~

 

Donghae was still reading some manga in his station, quietly finishing the book he had in his hand

 

“Especially Cho-shi” Kyu has seen him once again alone and reading at the same spot

 

~~~ooo0ooo~~~

A couple of days after

~~~ooo0ooo~~~

 

 

“What…? You’re not done? Why not? Yesterday you said that you would turn it in early this morning!” he furiously said as he spoke with an author at the phone

 

“When can you get it done? You don’t know? What the hell? Do you have any idea how much we have to fight with the printing agency to push back the deadline?” he kept his tone up

 

Hae was sitting down and listening to Kyu’s conversation “I get it now… this is… the so called period”

 

Kyu got irritated and got his bag and stormed out, “Lee, come with me were going to the idiotic author’s place”

 

He turned to look “Right now?”

 

“Grab the last 12 sheets. We’ll do the phototypesetting there and bring a cutter too. We’ll probably end up fixing the tones there” he ordered

 

“Huh…? But I can’t do that yet!” he panicked

 

Kyu turned with a dark glare “You’re the only one who’s free right now”

 

“Take care of things here!”

 

~~~ooo0ooo~~~

Meanwhile near the author’s house

~~~ooo0ooo~~~

 

 

“Thank you for doing business with us. This is Cho from SM Publishing” he spoke through the phone

 

“I wonder why he’s in such a hurry”

 

“Here as well… why… do all the people involved in the world of manga seem to have such short lifespans? You’re a girl right?” he watched how all the artist looked so dead and rotting at their table

 

Kyu then rushed in to the author “C-Cho”

 

Kyu then slapped the author in the forehead with his palm “If you can cry out of guilt, why don’t you meet your freaking deadline?” he screamed

 

“What’s not finished isn’t finished, damn it!” she answered back

 

“I’m the one who should be mad here! Want me to strangle you?” he fought off

 

“You should never draw something like the Nikko Toshogu Shrine for a whopping two page spread and then submit it as the final blueprint! This is for an extra!” (Note: Submitting a bad final proof as a blueprint is what bad mangaka do)

 

“It’s better than Sonjuusan Gendo, isn’t it?” she excused back

 

She then piped down and mumbled “I know I’m causing you a lot of trouble, but this page is the highlight of this chapter, so I really want to draw it well. I can’t allow myself to get lax by saying thing like I can always fix it later when it’s compiled into a book” Hae felt bad about her

 

Kyu then sniffled “If you can’t allow that, then don’t miss your deadline. Someone who can’t even get the basics right has no right to make any requirements” he dictated

 

“This is bad” he told himself, “I know that already!” she complied. “The author’s beginning to panic” he watched her movements and her words

 

Kyu stood right being her “How many pages still need to be drawn?” he asked

 

“Five pages” she determinately continued to draw

 

“For real…? You’re unbelievable. Hurry up and start drawing already” he command

 

“I know. You don’t have to keep on telling me that!”

 

“She looks like she hasn’t been sleeping… and she’s staggering”

 

“Say this manga is interesting” he suddenly spoke

 

“Huh…?” it caught her attention

 

“Can I still fix it now? I don’t even know anymore whether or not the things I draw are interesting” she eyed her own work

 

“I have to calm her down” he thought of a resolve

 

“It’s too late to worry about that now, stupid” Kyu suddenly added

 

“Hey!” he got shocked with his sudden way of words

 

“See she’s getting really nervous”

 

“I think I want to fix it” she replied

 

“Just move your hands already” Kyu demanded

 

“I have to do something” Hae was also panicking

 

“Cho I…” she trailed off

 

“Don’t waste calories doing useless things” he topped out

 

“Read the atmosphere for goodness sake, Cho-shi! Enough already…!”

 

“Excuse me, I bought your latest book” he approached her

 

Kyu shot him a glare but he wasn’t aware of it

 

“Huh…?” she wondered what he meant

 

“What?”

 

“No… I mean” he didn’t know what else to say and he needed to think fast

 

“Um, I just joined the manga editing department, so I’m currently reading the book my company has published one by one. But even as a guy, I think your works are really interesting. I heard your latest book was published this month, so I bought it”

 

“You can’t get them from your company?” she was puzzled

 

It shot Hae “Well, I can but I always buy the book I find interesting because that’s my way of paying the author back” he reasoned out

 

“You actually use your salary from SM to give money back to them… what are you thinking?” Kyu bluntly said

 

Kyu was then starting to paste some typesetting; it took a couple of seconds before Hae realized it “Ah!” “You only realized it just now?” he replied at the sudden reaction

 

“No, I mean I really think your manga is interesting, so I was thinking we should just work harder” he tried to make sure it would lift her up “I’m such an idiot. I only wanted to cheer her up, and yet…something like that…the one who can’t read the atmosphere is me” he blushed at his mistake

 

Kyu then patted his shoulder “So even the new guy can say such thing”

 

“Have I ever made a mistake when I say something is interesting?” he looked at the one he edited

 

“No” she replied right away

 

“Besides, I’ve already spoken with the printing agency, and they’ve pushed the deadline back to tomorrow morning” he said the good news

 

To Hae surprise

 

“Huh…? But didn’t you say that the deadline is this afternoon?” she thought of what he said earlier

 

“I knew you’d never make it in time. Don’t forget though that doing things like this will only hurt your reputation” he cleared

 

“I-I know”

 

“He was yelling on the phone all the way over here”

 

“Then get to work already!”

 

“Y-Yes sir” she did what she was told

 

“So he was negotiating with the printing agency, even if I didn’t cheer her up… from the start Cho-shi’s been planning to tell her to finish her drawing flawlessly”

 

 

~~~ooo0ooo~~~

They then finished the tone adjustments and the whole blueprint over night

~~~ooo0ooo~~~

 

 

They then got to SM Publishing and they were both whittled down due to the exhaustion, they both sat at the couch

 

“I didn’t know that the morning sun could be so harsh… I think I’m dying”

 

“You’ve worked hard” Kyu complimented

 

“I’m so glad we somehow made it in time”

 

“You really helped a lot”

 

“Huh?”

 

“She doesn’t usually get that hysterical, but things were really rushed this time, so maybe she got confused” he elaborated

 

“She seem to have recovered after you cheered her up”

 

“Ah, no… I’m really sorry about that. I wish I could have said more encouraging things, but I always end up blurting out whatever is on my mind when the time calls for it…” he looked down on himself

 

“Blurting out huh? Good work” he gave him a canned drink as well with a charming smile

 

Hae felt his heart beat “So, even he can smile. Well, that goes without saying”

 

“On the other hand, why the hell is my heart pounding?”

 

“It’s good to be straight forward, I think saying things like, I really think your manga is interesting is really encouraging” he thought

 

“If that’s true, then I’m relieved” “Maybe I should change my opinion of Cho-shi, he has the ability to bring out an author’s full potential, create something good with them, and sell the books, I… the things I’ve always dreamed of doing, he’s really doing them” he felt his heart pound once more at the sight of him smoking and with that he turned around

 

“Am I an idiot? Why is my heart pounding? He’s a guy! Be it a guy or a girl I’ve decided never to fall in love again”

 

Kyu then gripped his hand “You’re still the same”

 

Hae wondered what he meant by that “What do you mean?”

 

Kyu’s opened widely… then it narrowed “You don’t remember me?”

 

“Um… you’ve said it before, but I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else, this is the first time meeting you” and with a flash Kyu knocked him down the sofa pinning him down

 

“Wha… What are you doing?” he demanded an answer

 

“Maybe you’ll remember if I do this?”

 

“What?” Kyu grabbed him by the cheek “Wait!” he slammed their mouths together

 

Hae then grabbed him and pulled him away “Cho-shi… what? Cho…”

 

But Kyu held on a tight grip on him and pulled him back and locked their mouths once more

 

Hae then slapped him right in the face “Ouch” he pulled back and Hae stood up

 

“Stop… please stop joking around I’m a man, you know?”

 

Kyu’s face was all serious “Joke? Ah yes, to you it was all a joke, wasn’t it?” Hae didn’t got what he’s trying to say

 

“Huh?” “ The atmosphere surrounding you had changed quite a bit, but you’re still as straight forward as ever” he still didn’t got him

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“You said you loved me right?”

 

Kyu then stood up “Huh?”

 

“It must be nice to be you. I can’t believe you dumped me and then forgot all about it”

 

“What…? Dumped…?”

 

“I’m going the to the printing agency try to remember it in the meantime” Hae was still thinking of what he’s saying

 

Kyu was opening the door “What are you saying Kyu-shi?”

 

“My parents divorced when I was a senior in high school, so my family name changed… my old name was Park Kyuhyun” he turned to tell him his previous name

 

Shocked with what he’d said his past memory surged within his mind “Park… Kyuhyun?”

 

“Park Kyuhyun… Park”

 

“Sunbae”

 

“Park”

 

“We are going out, right?”

 

“Because sunbae, you never say anything huh?” he recalled himself right after their session

 

“Park Sunbae”

 

“Park-sunbae do you…do you love me?” with that Kyu chuckled

 

“He laughed at me? What! Why? Could that be… he was just playing with me?” he felt so used

 

He stood up and rushed to catch up on him “Wait up Park! Park… I mean Cho”

 

“Park Kyuhyun = Cho Kyuhyun. Park Kyuhyun = Cho Kyuhyun. My first love, whose very existence I tried so hard to erase from my memories. Why did I have to meet him again here? And why does he have to be my superior?”

 

“Wait up! Don’t just say whatever you please and then run away” he then caught up

 

“How dare you just announce yourself in front of me like that without a shred of remorse? After doing such a horrible thing to me, how about apologizing huh?”

 

Kyu looked back “Huh?”

 

“Horrible?”

 

“That’s right!”

 

“I did to you?”

 

“Who else I could be talking about…? Because of you I…”

 

“Weren’t you the one who did a horrible thing?” he answered back

 

“What?” he wondered why?

 

“Who’s the one who suddenly kicked me from behind and then disappeared without a word the next day?”

 

Hae was puzzled “Kicked from behind? What are you talking about? Besides, the one who disappeared without a word was you”

 

“What’s with you did you conveniently forget anything that isn’t of interest to you? You’re really the worst” he answered back

 

“You… you’re one to talk!” he yelled back “It might have been the whim of my youth, but I-I was actually really serious about you, yet you played with my heart and threw me away!”

 

“Huh? When did I do such thing?”

 

“Well then when I asked you, do you love me? You laughed through your nose!”

 

“I don’t know anything about that, even if I really did that, we were still high school students, so I might have done that to hide my embarrassment, right?”

 

Hae was silenced “You, could it be that you thought I was only playing around with you, and that’s why you knocked me down and ran away? And you’ve continue to hold a grudge against me for 10 years?” he spoke out with truth

 

Hae felt dreaded and blushed at the words Kyu spouted out “You… are you an idiot?”

 

 “Bastard…!”

 

“You’re the idiot! I’m~” Kyu spoke off before he could continue

 

“The mystery’s solved if that’s the case; it’s okay for me to come on to you, right? How stupid…?

 

“Huh?”

 

“No matter how many times I try to be in a relationship, I can never forget about you… for that reason”

 

“I will make you say that you love me one more time, you better be prepared for it” he swore

 

It made Hae blush flush red “Do… Don’t joke with me!” he dashed to get to him “Wait! Because of you, I~” he shut up as he slammed his face onto the elevator door

 

He curled down as he tried to endure the pain “Ouch… ouch… ouch… ouch…”

 

“Calm down! I’ve got to calm down!”

 

“What’s the meaning of this? Was it all a misunderstanding on my part? No way! I mean, that incident gave me such a shock that completely changed who I am as a person! This isn’t something that can be settled by an explanation as simple as that he was hiding his embarrassment. How could I be so careless as to not recognize him as sunbae from the start?”

 

 

 “Well, his hairstyle is different and it’s only normal to forget someone after 10 years! If I’d recognized him, I would have quit on the spot!”

 

“I can never forget about you” Kyu’s voice lingered inside his head and made his heart pound lively again

 

“What if Cho-shi said was true? What if I just misunderstood everything? I wonder if sunbae really did love me…. Does he still love me? If that’s the case, could I fall in love with him again? I was the one who fell in love with him first. As much as this sounds like a manga, I’m sure that if I can say I love you everything will end happily”

 

He then shifted “Like hell that would happen!”

 

“Even if he did that to hide his embarrassment, shouldn’t have done such a misleading thing! I hate myself for getting worked up so easily over every little thing no! This is not love! Who would fall in love with a jerk like him again! He’s gonna make me say I love you? Like hell I would say that!”

 

He then stumbled upon Kyu “That was fast, did you come to confess”

 

“Huh? What are you talking about? Besides this is where I live… since about a year ago” his heart was racing so loudly “Am I stupid or what? Why the hell is my heart pounding?”