Jongwoon has his arms crossed on his chest, leaning at the railing of the building’s rooftop that resembles the university building’s rooftop. He just finished a phone conversation with Heechul who is still with Youngwoon at the hospital. Heechul told him Youngwoon’s bleeding head was already stitched and is no longer critical. He is still unconscious the moment they spoke but that’s just the anesthesia working, Heechul clarified or so the doctor explained to him. Importantly, Youngwoon is safe now.

“That guy is seriously stubborn, Jongwoon!” Heechul yelled in frustration to Jongwoon over the phone. “But he is brave. Really brave.”

The moon peeks from the clouds and glistens on the metal Jongwoon is holding. The stars sprinkle light like dust in his skin and a sudden cold breeze touches his face and makes his closed eyes open again, reminding him of the problem in hand.

He supposes to go back to the waiting room already because he doesn’t want Ryeowook to have another mental breakdown if he disappears as well at this point of the competition. Besides Ryeowook is almost up and despite the current problem that he still doesn’t know how they are going to solve, Ryeowook still deserves all their support.

He stretches a little and is about to jump over the rooftop railings, back to the safe ground of the rooftop, but an unexpected shout almost makes him jump the seven storey building the opposite, dangerous and impossible not fatal side of where he is supposed to jump.

“Don't do it, hyung!”

Jongwoon turns to look at the stranger on the rooftop under the moonlight with him. He almost shakes his head at the irony of seeing the person he least expect to see. Of seeing Kyuhyun again.

“Don't what?”

“Don't jump!” Kyuhyun repeats in the same hysterical voice.

“Huh? What?!” Jongwoon stares at him blankly like he isn’t making sense again.

“Don't jump off the building!” Kyuhyun shouts again, looking seriously at Jongwoon.

He doesn’t even know why Kyuhyun has suddenly appeared thinking he’s going to jump off the building now of all times. Because honestly, if Jongwoon has ever thought of killing himself, that would be for more than once before and not this time when he only doesn’t have a partner for the duet competition that is up by the way in less than an hour.

He almost rolls his eyes at Kyuhyun but keeps himself from doing it because not even annoyance will Kyuhyun get from him now.

“Okay,” Jongwoon mutters mostly to himself as he lets go of the metal railings he is holding to and jumps off the edge of the rooftop where he is standing.

Kyuhyun’s eyes widen and he isn’t about to let a shout as he runs to the rooftop railings and sees Jongwoon about half a meter down, sitting for a moment and staring at the wideness of SNU’s field. He let’s out an obvious sigh of relief when he sees Jongwoon safe.

Jongwoon stands up again and climbs the metal railings. He jumps over the other side of the railings to where Kyuhyun is already standing and looking at him with no acknowledgement of the latter. He doesn’t even look at him when he says, “I am not going to kill myself just because my partner for the duet competition can’t make it tonight or because you can't man up to you own feelings, Kyuhyun.”

Kyuhyun is speechless.

He is more speechless when Jongwoon stares at him with sheer coldness and asks, “What are you doing here? Why am I talking to you?”

He doesn’t know what he expected. He guesses it’s safe to say he didn’t expect Jongwoon to treat him like he used to after everything Kyuhyun did and said to him but this. It’s honestly more than Kyuhyun expected.

“Can't you talk to me?”

“I don't know. Can I?” Jongwoon asks him back his own question nonchalantly, dusting his pants from the dirty level he just jumped to and fixing his coat. “I just thought that the last time we spoke would be the last time I would talk to you. You made it seem so.”

“Hyung,” Kyuhyun starts.

“I know. You can't,” Jongwoon interrupts him before he can say something as idiotic as that that he made Jongwoon listen to over and over again before. He doesn’t want to have that again. He doesn’t want other people, even Kyuhyun, to trample, crush and do it over and over again with his feelings. No, Jongwoon can’t have that anymore. This time though, he doesn’t stop himself from rolling his eyes. Then he stares at Kyuhyun and asks again, “What are you doing here?”

He doesn’t know why he feels so helpless with Jongwoon hating on him. He deserves it, right? He convinces himself that he deserves it a long time ago if Jongwoon finds someone who can love him with all of that person’s heart and Jongwoon forgets that once there’s someone like him who broke his heart. He deserves how broken and empty it feels when Jongwoon can’t even look at him.

But why does he feel so helpless? Like going here is a wrong decision after all. He shouldn’t have come here after all because it’s wrong. It’s so wrong even when Ryeowook’s voice is possibly shaking when he called him and told him Youngwoon had an accident and won’t be able to sing with Jongwoon for the duet competition.

So it is Youngwoon, Kyuhyun thought, remembering the times he heard Youngwoon’s voice and wondering if it would harmonize well – or even better – with Jongwoon’s.

“Ryeowook called me,” Kyuhyun tells him with the steadiest voice he can muster. 

Jongwoon shakes his head and begins walking away from Kyuhyun, “Maestro Jang told him not to ask you to come.”

“He didn't,” Kyuhyun explains. “He just told me Youngwoon had an accident and couldn't come. I came here by myself.”

Jongwoon looks back at Kyuhyun. He wants to ask why. He wants to ask what he plans to accomplish by coming here because Youngwoon suffered a terrible accident and can’t come. But he only stares at Kyuhyun because it doesn’t matter anymore. “It doesn't matter. Go back, Kyuhyun.”

But of course Kyuhyun doesn’t go back. It’s weird but it’s not weird at all after all that happened between them but he seems like he can’t talk to Jongwoon anymore. He follows Jongwoon close behind to the waiting room where he is almost stopped because only participants are allowed there had not Ryeowook seen him.

“Kyuhyun!” Ryeowook is shaking when he sees Kyuhyun and Kyuhyun gives him a good luck hug. It’s almost his turn.

“What are you still doing here, Wookie? Aren’t you supposed to be on standby backstage already?” Jongwoon asks Ryeowook.

“I was waiting for you, hyung. I’m worried about you,” Ryeowook tells him honestly and Jongwoon can only smile. Despite the already nerve wrecking pressure of his own, he is worried of Jongwoon.

“What’s going to happen to the duet competition?” Kyuhyun asks Ryeowook.

Ryeowoook looks from both Kyuhyun and Jongwoon. He sees them both coming together to the waiting room. Well, almost together since Kyuhyun is coming a couple of meters behind Jongwoon. He knows it’s definitely insensitive of him but he trusts Kyuhyun and Jongwoon when it comes to singing like how he trusts himself. What happened between them might be bleak and can’t be trusted now but their singing deserves to be heard, especially together.

“Maestro Jang gives us two options: choose Youngwoon’s replacement,” Ryeowook says, “or withdraw from the competition. It will be Jongwoon-hyung’s decision.”

Jongwoon’s heart sinks upon the thought of withdrawing from the competition but before he can even show any reaction or say something, Kyuhyun beats him to it.

“You can’t withdraw,” Kyuhyun says. “You practiced for this for the whole year.”

Ryeowook wants to point out that they did. They practiced for this for the whole year but Jongwoon speaks faster.

“It’s not for you to decide,” Jongwoon tells Kyuhyun.

“You can’t withdraw now.”

“Like I said, it’s not for you to decide.”

Ryeowook opens his mouth to say something but Kyuhyun beats him.

“If the maestro will let me,” Kyuhyun starts.

“You withdrew, didn’t you?” Jongwoon interrupts him.

“Yes, but,” Kyuhyun isn’t able to finish whatever he is going to say.

“So you don’t have anything to do with this now,” Jongwoon continues.

Ryeowook looks from Kyuhyun and Jongwoon and the tension between the two of them is swallowing the tension he is feeling because of the competition. He is uncertain if he has to thank them for that.

“Youngwoon can’t sing tonight,” Kyuhyun interjects again.

“It doesn’t mean you will,” Jongwoon cuts him off.

“Then who are you going to sing with now?” Kyuhyung asks, like he is daring Jongwoon.

“None of your business anymore,” Jongwoon only answers, not even looking at Kyuhyun but turning to walk inside to find the maestro.

“Why are you being so stubborn?” Kyuhyun finally says, standing in front of Jongwoon and stopping him.

“Why are you even here?” Jongwoon asks back, finally looking up to meet Kyuhyun’s eyes.

“Um-can-we-like-go-to-Maestro-to-ask-what-will-we-do?” Ryeowook says the question like he would say a single word because Jongwoon and Kyuhyun are seriously making him feel more nervous about what might happen between the two of them than what may happen when he stands on stage a few minutes from now.

Kyuhyun and Jongwoon are staring at each other like they meant to kill each other with their glares. It is Jongwoon who looks away first because he can’t look at Kyuhyun anymore. He can’t help feeling pissed because who is Kyuhyun to come here after withdrawing? Who is he to decide what they need to do when he withdrew? He doesn’t understand why he pretends to care for them when he obviously doesn’t care about how anybody else feels but himself.

Ryeowook understands where Jongwoon is coming from.

“Hyung, if you don’t want to,” he begins to say to Jongwoon.

“If you don’t want to sing with me, just say so,” Kyuhyun finishes what Ryeowook is about to say, still staring at Jongwoon. He takes a deep breath and lowers his head, “I just want to help. I don’t want to impose or decide anything on you or anybody. I just came here to help.”

Kyuhyun feels like a .

Maybe he shouldn’t have come after all. He already ed up everything and everything that remains between him and Jongwoon. He’s between shaving his head or his eyebrows, whichever will make him look crazier than what he must be feeling right now.

He’s long decided he’s going to let him go so why does he feel ty when Jongwoon treats him like this.

A/N: Have you guys watched this? https://youtu.be/61GM3zktEkU I know it's not exactly the right video for the mood of the chapter but this video is life. I mean, it's KyuSung love X'D

PS. I posted the chapter and there seems to be something wrong with the format? Sorry, guys. I switched laptops and I'm still trying to figure out how things work on this new one. For the meantime, if the font size is too small, you can click the "a" beside "Make Readable" above depending on your liking. Thank you! xo - Elle