You are Henry's close friend and have known him since kindergarten, but your family moved back to Hong Kong early highschool. Your name is Kevin Wu, and yes, you're a boy this time. You were a member of the basketball team (not a bench warmer, but not the best or captain position) and skilled at popping and piano. Currently, you work as barista at a popular coffee shop in Korea, and met your old buddy and his new gang shortly before closing shop. Slight alternate universe. Told from Henry's POV, but the flashbacks will be in third person POV. WARNING: tragedy and mild language and horrendously long and poorly written prologue.

 

A Paralyzed Heart

 

During kindergarten . . .

"Dear God, Henry, you're such a mama's boy!"

"Henry Lau's crying again, run before the teachers get here!" All the children scrambled away from a little Chinese boy who was crying beneath the playground swingset; they'd pushed him too hard and he'd fallen from the seat. One of the kids stopped, turning around to look at little Henry.

"Come on, Kevin, leave the mama's boy!" His friends called.

"What's wrong with being a mama's boy? Jealous 'cos mum doesn't love you much?" Kevin hollared over his little shoulders as he ran back to swingset, helping Henry up. "Come on, you, let's go." He tugs lightly on the smaller boy's elbows. "I'm Kevin, by the way," he says as Henry picks himself off the ground.

And just like that, the two became close friends.

 

During elementary . . .

"Henryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!" 

"HEY!" Henry exclaims as his music is suddenly whipped off the music stand by Kevin.

"Let's go outside and play, you're already really good with the violin."

"But I just started--"

"Basketball!"

"But--"

"Play!"

"I--"

"Play basketball with me! My Aunt said that basketball will make us taller."

Henry sighs and sets his violin off to the side. "Fine. ONE match, game point is four points, okay?"

Then like a chipmunk on Redbull, Kevin shot straight out the door and motions for Henry to follow.

 

During junior high . . .

Kevin is skipping class and hanging out in the music room. The piano cover is down, and Kevin is sleeping soundly with his head on it and a thin line of drool is trickling from his wide-open mouth.

Henry sees his buddy upon opening the door and tsks before taking a school-owned clarinet from the shelf across the room and tiptoeing back to the piano. With no knowledge of how to play the reeded piece of grenadilla wood, he blows. Hard. And the most irritating, loud, and high-pitched squeak erupts from the bell next to Kevin's ear, causing him to jump and fall backwards off the bench. Blinking a few times, he takes a few seconds to process the face looking down at him before rolling over and rising and dusting himself off.

"Drooler." Henry hands Kevin a paper towel, grinning.

"I did not," Kevin retorts, accepting the towel and wiping his face.

"Wanna practice for the recital? You're skipping class again, anyway." Henry holds up a musical score over his head, since Kevin has already hit his growth spurt and gotten much taller.

"No." He pouts slightly, swinging his ever-growing legs over the bench and seating himself again, placing his head back on the piano cover and closing his eyes.

"Oh, come on! I'll shoot some hoops with you after," Henry pesters his friend, pushing the larger's shoulders until he cracks open one eye. "Come on! I'll play basketball with you for as long as you want!"

"Oh really?" Kevin shuts that dark brown eye of his, yawning lazily.

"Really, really," Henry nods, spastically shaking his buddy.

"Well? Go get your violin then."

 

Freshman year, highschool . . .

"Oh wow . . . That's sick, man," Henry says, sitting on the curb watching his friend with awe as he dances, popping joints and body parts left and right.

"That's nothing," Kevin replies, seating himself next to the smaller Henry. His knees crunch slightly as he shifts all his weight to his rear to sit, and he opens a bottle of cola, drinking it slowly between breaths. "That kid from Korea. You know, the guy that stayed back two or so years?"

"Donghae Lee?"

"Well, him, too, but no."

"All the girls go gaga over him, it's kinda gross."

"Haha, he's cool, but it's like babysitting my baby sister all over again. He's like a five year old sometimes, and you have to tie his hands behind his back and take away the paperclips before he tries going for the sockets."

". . . Ok . . . so which guy from Korea were we talking about?"

"That really tall one, the Goliath that hangs around Donghae a lot. I can't remember his name . . . Donghae said we could all hang out sometime, but they've been busy trying to graduate."

"Kevin Li?"

"He's Chinese like us, Lau Fresh-flowers, no. Jung . . . Jung-something . . . Ahhh, I almost got it . . ."

"Junho?"

"Yunho Jung! There we go!" Kevin snaps his fingers. "You should come hang out with us, when they have time. Then we can all dance. Seriously, those two are like . . . ppak ppak ppak--" He snaps his hands rapidly. "They're beasts."

"Eh . . . I don't know . . ."

"Come on, come, please?"

"I guess, but . . ."

"Ah, the bus is here, let's go!"

 

Later that year . . .

"HENRYYYYYYYYYYYYY~"

"HEY!!" Henry exclaims as his hat is suddenly whipped off his head and Kevin zooms past him on his bike.

"Catch me if you wanna!" Kevin laughs over his shoulder and begins to peddle harder, zipping towards their highschool. He's securing his bike as Henry comes up, huffing and puffing, his hands on his knees and head slightly lowered.

"Hat. Head. Now."

Kevin chuckles and lightly places the baseball cap on Henry's spikey, baby chicken-like, black hair, frowning and skewing it off to one side. "Don't wear it straight ever again, looks more boss off to the side."

"By boss, you mean retarded?"

"Maybe."

"Drooler!"

Kevin laughs, his eyes looking into the distance as he pulls Henry into a headlock. "I don't drool!"

"Drooler! You owe me a bubble tea for making me run so much!"

"Sure thing buddy, sure thing," Kevin says softly, releasing Henry and clapping him on the back. "Class is starting soon, let's meet up with Donghae and Yunho afterclass, maybe shoot some hoops or dance." And just like that, they went about their school day, pulling Donghae away from sockets and later dancing and shooting hoops until the sun had set. They were out so late that they'd forgotten about the bubble tea.

And then the next morning, Kevin wasn't at the bus stop. And the day after, he wasn't at the school either. Then a week later, Henry got a hold of Donghae, who told him that his best buddy's family had moved back to Hong Kong for his father's business. And just like that, his friend was gone.

 

"HEY!" I yelp as a paper clip finds its way into my ear, pulling me from days long past.

"Morning, Mochi," laughs the choding fish.

"Hyung, there's other ways to wake me up, you know."

"But they're not as fun."

" . . . Why?"

"This is Donghae," Eunhyuk-hyung began, bracing himself for the five-year-old-trapped-in-a-twenty-eight-year-old-man's-body that was charging towards the door at him. After successfully catching his buddy, he finishes his sentence; "It's never 'why,' but 'why not?' But for that matter, why are you awake anyway?" He begins pushing the widely-grinning man off.

"Because today we're going hoooooooooommmmmmmeeeeeeee~" He stretches out the word gleefully, and I can't help but smile despite the fact that he just pulled me out of dreamland. "Our 'Break Down' promotions in China are over, it's sad, but I miss homeeeeeeee. Hommmeeeeeee. Where Siwon doesn't come to me when Hyukkie calls him a horse. Hoooommmmmmmmeeee. Where we all bug the daylights and gray hairs off of Teukie-hyung."

"You mean you bug him until his hair turns a lighter color than any man-made hairdye can and falls out?"

"Nope, hyung is getting younger because I bug him."

I take a second to think about the last few times I hung out at the main dorm with them, and I was pretty sure Leeteuk-hyung looked more haggard whenever Donghae-hyung was about. I look at Eunhyuk-hyung who looked like he was about to argue, but he shuts his mouth. He bickers with Donghae-hyung about something else for a few seconds before going back to his own room, leaving me alone with the five-year-old, who bounds back to my bed and sits on it.

"I woke everyone up about three hours earlier than needed, so--"

"Hyung . . ."

"--I'm bored, since only you and Hyukjae actually listened to me."

I groaned. Three hours early. That probably explained why it was still pitch-black outside and why the clock read "4:00am." I sat up, tugging at the blanket that was trapped under Donghae-hyung square-shaped . "Hey, hyung . . ."

"Mm?"

"Do you rememer Kevin?"

"You mean Kris?"

"No. Kevin Wu?" I began to stretch my eyes a bit, trying to make an imitation of Kevin's saucer-like eyes. Seeing his confused expression, I just sigh and think a bit more. Then Kyuhyun-hyung pokes his head in from the adjoining door, and I snap my fingers. "Kyuhyun!" I say, pointing at him.

"Yes, me." He snaps before launching a pillow at Donghae. "Eunhyuk-hyung told me what the real time was and the one that set the alarm and clocks ahead three hours was you!" Donghae laughs and catches the pillow, causing Kyuhyun-hyung to roll his eyes and slam the door.

"So do you remember him?" I asked.

"I dunno . . ."

"The guy that had huge eyes kind of like Kyuhyun-hyung, kinda tall, too. We used to dance with him in highschool, remember?'

Donghae tilts his head to one side, touching his sideburns as he tries to remember. "Is he . . ." he began slowly. "The one that moved away shortly before I graduated? Or is he the one that we went around playing ding-dong-ditch with before I moved back to Korea?"

"I never went ding-dong-ditching with you."

"Ah! That friend, yeah, I kinda do remember him, why?"

"Do you ever wonder what happened to him? He didn't even say goodbye . . . Hyung?"

"Mm?" Donghae looks up from his handphone; he was scrolling through his contacts and texting someone.

"Eunhyuk-hyung is in the next room if you want to talk to him, you know."

"Oh, nah. I'm texting this number. There's no name with it, so I'm trying to find out who it is. Oh, they're replying . . ." He chuckles as he reads the reply. "Maybe it's Hankyung-hyung? His Korean is a bit funny . . ."

"That's not Hankyung's number," I say, peering over his shoulder. "He seems like he speaks English--what?" Donghae hands me his phone.

"Well, my English is gone now, so you talk to him. Hyung's taking a nap." Hyung stretches and yawns, making a spot for himself next to me.

And just like that, he fell asleep and was oblivious to the world. 

I fluff out my cheeks and pout a bit, eventually deciding to get out of bed to continue the conversation with the nameless number. I pull the covers over hyung, switching off the lights in the bedroom. Then, I went to the bathroom and shut the door, seating myself on the closed throne as I begin texting.

Sorry, I jacked Donghae-hyung's phone. But do you speak English, by any chance?"

A reply comes almost immediately in English.

I do. My Korean is still very crusty, do you mind if I use English?

I chuckle.

My Korean isn't very good either, I'm Henry. You?

The reply that comes in next almost makes me drop Hyung's phone:

Kevin. You wouldn't be the Lau fresh-flowers and over-sized toddler I went to highschool with?

Immediately, I dial the number.

"Hello?"

"Drooler!"

"What?"

"Drooler, man, long time no-hear-from!"

"HENRY!"

"Yeah!"

We catch up for a bit on the phone, and soon, ten minutes pass. Then thirty, then an hour.

"So, why are learning Korean?"

"Me?"

"Who else, drooler? Donghae doesn't need to learn it because he is Korean."

"I'm studying here right now."

"They offer Korean in Hong Kong?"

"No, I'm in Korea. I heard you made it into Super Junior, so I begged dad to let me finish my studies here. Congrats, Lau fresh-flowers!"

"You're in Korea?"

"Yeah."

"Right now?"

"No, I'm in Topeka."

"Where in Korea?"

"Some district near Seoul. Listen, I gotta get ready for work soon, and international calls are pricy. Sorry, man. Let's catch up some other time."

"Ah, ok. And you still owe me a bubble tea!"

"Sure thing, buddy!"

And the line goes off.

 

Later that day, in Korea . . .

"Americanoooooo . . . " says a zombie-like Siwon-hyung from behind me.

"Iced cappucino . . ." mumbles Ryeowook and Sungmin-hyung, still half asleep.

"Coffee . . ." grumbles Hankyung, glaring at the napping Donghae.

"Caffeine--" Eunhyuk-hyung and Kyuhyun say at the same time and exchanging glances.

"Donghae-hyung got to your alarm clock, too?" Kyuhyun-hyung asks.

"No, he had a vuvuzela."

"I see . . ."

"Hyung," I began, lightly tapping on the manager that was driving the van. "Can we stop by a coffee shop? We're all half-dead." He nods, suppressing a yawn as he makes a left turn. "Thank you."

 

At a coffee house . . .

"Oh! Welcome to Royals Coffee Shop," a tall, young man with fluffy, honey-colored hair and a broom bows, welcoming us. "We were just about to close for the day, but please have a seat." He leads us to an array of seats by the windows overlooking a patio, and I can't help but notice that his Korean sounds a bit funny, almost scripted. "May I take your order?"

I peered over at his check, and see that he's writing the orders down in English. "Kevin!" His saucer-like eyes widen as he looks between me and Donghae, who's pouting because he got dragged out of dreamland.

"Donghae . . . hyung? Henry?"

Donghae smiles and waves, quickly turning his shifting his attention to pester Eunhyuk-hyung and Sungmin-hyung.

Then the manager calls us and I rise, standing next to Kevin and frown. "Did you shrink? We're almost the same height now."

He elbows me lightly in the ribs and smiles. "Go, your manager-hyung's calling you and mine will blow a fuse if she has to stay an extra hour or two to close shop."

"Sorry, man. Let's catch up later, after my schedules," I say, trading phones with him.

"Sure thing, here," He returns my phone after entering his contact info.

"Later, drooler!"

"Yup!"

 

Later that week . . .

I had a day off, so I decided to meet Kevin for a late-night movie. We were going to watch Spiderman, and he was running late.

"Kevin, the movie already started, where were you?" I whisper as he seats himself in the dark theatre.

"Sorry, got held up by my fans at work," he says sheepishly.

"Fans?"

"The female customers think I look like an ulzzang apparently. Some crazy girl kept insisting that I was EXO's Lu Han, but honestly, I don't see it. I'm a bit shorter."

"Oh." And I look at him. Quite honestly, I don't see it either. To me, Kevin looked like Kevin, and maybe a bit like Kyuhyun, but only his irises. "And you're tone-deaf."

"That, too." He says, throwing a kernel of popcorn at me.

"Drooler, wanna go clubbing later? We can own the dance floor again, just for old times' sake?"

I might have imagined it, but Kevin looked impossibly sad as he shook his head. "Maybe some other day, I'm kinda tired from work today." He stretches, popping multiple joints as he does so. He reaches over and tugs on stray strands of my now-platinum blond hair that was hanging from beneath the rim of my skewed cap. "You look boss with your cap that way, but this hair color . . ."

"Doesn't suit me?"

"It's retarded."

I huffed. "It's just for my solo promos. You're blond now too!"

"Yeah, but I look boss no matter what." He laughs. "You're too white for that color, like bok choy."

"What, I should dye my hair green now?"

"Maybe. But then Donghae . . . Donghae-hyung might try to stir fry you."

"His cooking is about as good as Kyuhyun-hyung's, I doubt Ryeowook will ever allow him in the kitchen because he tends to make big messes . . ."

"He's still a slob?"

"You have no idea," I sigh, rubbing my neck. "His clothes are strewn everywhere. And when he can't find something to wear, he'll either wear something that doesn't smell off his floor or 'borrow' someone else's clothes."

"At least he washes."

"Hey, hey, hey. I wash too--"

"That's not what they said on the interview~"

"Drooler!"

"Lau smelly-flowers!"

And we watched the movie, bickering and laughing as if he'd never left.

Then the next day, I texted him to ask him to come to the studio to hang out and have a jam session sometime, but he didn't reply. I guess he was getting flooded at the cafe.

Just like that, a week passed, and no reply came, so I texted him again, waiting a few minutes before starting to panic. But then, manager-hyung called me over; it was my time to get on stage with Amber, so I switched my phone off and tucked it into my pocket.

After recording and my schedules, I climbed into the back of the van and texted him again before drifting off to sleep:

Drooler, you dead or something?

I wake up as manager-hyung parks the van at the dorms and lets me off, and Zhou Mi and Jungmo-hyung greet me from the couch where they're arranging some song. Jay-hyung waves from his seat on the floor, his eyes diligently rolling over a drama script. After putting away my hat and shoes, I shuffle to my room and sit on the edge of the bed, taking out my phone and staring at it. It goes off and I almost drop it;

Sorry, Henry.

And that cold feeling rushes over me as I try to dial the number.

"We are sorry, but the number you have dialed is no longer in service--"

 

The next morning, I called Donghae from the van on the way to another recording.

"Hyung?"

"Yeah?" He mumbles, still half-asleep.

"Have you been able to reach Kevin?"

"Who?"

"Kevin, our highschool buddy that served us coffee when we got back to Korea?"

"Huh?"

"Kevin Wu!"

"Kris works for our company, not a coffee shop."

"No!"

"And the person that served us that night was Choi Soon-Ki."

" . . . What?"

"Choi Soon-Ki. He said he was a part-timer and a big fan of Siwonnie, remember?"

"But Kevin . . ."

"Ah, that Kevin? The one that had huge eyes like Kyuhyun?"

"Yeah, him . . ." And that cold feeling covers me like a blanket, offering nausea instead of warm comfort.

"Sorry, but I lost contact with him after I moved back to Korea. I think he said his noona was studying medicine at a Korean university before I moved, but I don't know if she'd still be here--" He yawns. "One sec, I might have her number . . ." And of course the line goes dead as he accidently hangs up to scroll through his contacts. But it's time for me to go on stage now, so I shut off my phone and leave it with my manager.

 

Climbing into the back seat, I turn my phone on and there's a few new messages, but the only one I see is the one from Donghae-hyung; he'd texted me Kevin's older sister's number with a little note attached:

Sorry, but I don't know if this is still her number.

I typed a reply:

Thanks, Donghae-hyung. You're the best hyung ever.

And a reply comes in about an hour later, as manager-hyung parks the van.

1-4-3, Henry-ya ;-)

After rushing inside and hastily removing my shoes, I ducked into my room and sat on my bunk, beginning to write a message when Zhou Mi's sharp features suddenly casted a shadow over my phone.

"Go wash before you sleep for once, I don't want to smell you today, too."

Lightly, I shoo him back to his bunk and continue typing.

Hi, is this Kevin Wu's older sister?

Yeah, who is this?

Henry Lau.

Oh, hey. Sorry he left without saying anything.

I pause, erasing several messages before asking,

How have you guys been?

Dad, mom, Hayley, and I are alright. I'm sick of med-school, but whatevs. Your life must be fun stuff now, huh? ;-o

It's like a zoo . . . How's Kevin?

And the messages stop coming and going for a bit, but then . . .

You know how he limped a bit in middleschool and highschool?

Yeah?

He developed polio.

And again, that cold feeling hits me.

His legs were slowly getting paralyzed and he didn't tell us anything before or after leaving for Korea and got hit by a car while trying to cross the street.

 

END

 

20130921 -- stinky creek and Jaedelle does not understand male brains . . . maybe Henry is too effeminate in this installment :/ Apologies for the dialogue abuse and typos >_<

20130928 - minor grammar fix & re-justisfied some text.

So yeah . . . re-read it myself and can't make sense of it . . . Jaedelle thinks that maybe Henry was hallucinating, which explains why Donghae didn't greet "Kevin" at the cafe . . .