Siwon had always known that she wasn’t just another girl that would simply pass by in his life.

It wasn’t just that they’re both tall, are devout Christians and had the same surname.

No, it was much more than that.

She’d given him so much more, taught him things that he never knew someone as young would know and most of all, she showed him the meaning of love.

Which was how Siwon found himself lost in his hobby as he clicked shots after shots with his camera of the woman standing a few feet away from him, a similar camera slung around her neck, as she bent to inhale the scent of the flowers in front of her.

No, Siwon corrected himself.

Photography has never been a hobby for him.

It held more meaning to him than just that.

Because it was through photography that he’d found love in a girl who held as much passion for it as him.

~~~~~

In Donghae’s world, dance is his only passion.

He’d always known that he had an affinity with music.

It wasn’t just the way the music called to his body, urging it to move with the melody, it was in the way the melody molds his movement, telling him the right actions for each beat.

It’s always been this way for Donghae. Just dance. He didn’t think it was possible for him to have as much passion for something else as he has for dance.

Not till he met her.

Not till she’d shown him how a snap of a photo could easily capture the essence of his dance; bringing what he’d always thought was just an invisible expression of his passion to live.

She’d taught him that, widen his horizon and brought forth an emotion he’d never thought to feel so soon.

In the midst of everything, DongHae fell in love.

~~~~~

Yunho wasn’t a person many could easily feel comfortable with.

Nor was he someone who adapts to changes well.

Yet, when it comes to Sooyoung, all bets were off.

Yunho had always watched the lanky brunette ever since she was a trainee, remembering how he’d had a bad impression of the loud and talkative little girl who’d go around snapping pictures as she goes.

Yunho didn’t know how it happened, until one day, he found himself settled beside her as she ranted on and on about her photos.

Initially, Yunho had gotten irritated by her excessive ranting but as time goes by, and when he finally learn to actually listen to what she’s saying, he found that photos weren’t as simple as they seemed to be.

Slowly, he’d learn to look past the surface and unearth the real story behind every photos, following Sooyoung’s every indication to pick out the underlying meaning.

It was then that Yunho learned, like the photos, Sooyoung wasn’t just another airhead with a big mouth.

To him, she was a gem deliberately covered with dust… A gem he isn’t foolish enough to let go.

~~~~~

Kyuhyun’d never really understand how people find taking pictures that interesting.

Compared to looking at standstill images that doesn’t tell much, Kyuhyun much preferred the stories that songs could convey; the melodies that easily tells a stranger what mood the composer wanted to set it in, the lyrics that tells it all.

Like Kyuhyun, Changmin too, didn’t know how people could get so engrossed in photography. Not when one loses the meaning of moving on instead of getting stuck in the past.

To him, Changmin had always thought that photos don’t tell much to a stranger. What’s more to it than scenery and the faces? Had the person not went through the process of what the photographer took, they wouldn’t know much now, do they?

Changmin preferred to live the memories and not get caught up in trying so hard to take it down in pictures just to show off to others and in the process, miss out the fun of experiencing what was taken down in the photos.

That was what the two men used to think.

They didn’t know that something so simple held much more story that what was depicted on the surface.

Not till she came and changed their mindset.

~~~~~

“Oppa!” Her voice drew their attention as she entered the practice room, as usual, with a camera slung around her neck.

“Tell me you haven’t been wondering around in the park!” Siwon chided, plucking out a small twig from her hair.

“Okay. Then I shan’t tell you.” Sooyoung grinned, thanking Yunho for the bottle of water he’d already prepared for her.

Kyuhyun, Changmin and Donghae simply looked at her with expectations in their eyes, awaiting the photos she’d taken along with her analysis.

Sooyoung’s smile widen at the child-like anticipation on their faces before carefully extracting two Polaroid photos from her bag.

“This, is what I saw.”

In the picture was a young boy flashing a smile at the camera, displaying two missing front teeth. Sooyoung purposely captured the photo, displaying just from the neck up, not including the body of the little boy.

“Now, tell me a story.”

As usual, the guys gave her their own depiction.

“A young carefree boy spending a day with his family.” Siwon pointed out.

“But hyung, his eyes… somewhat the smile doesn’t really reach his eyes…” Kyuhyun was quick to correct.

“And he’s really skinny.” Changmin noted.

“Plus, look at the long hair… Should kids that age have proper haircut?” Donghae joined in.

“Wait… Do I see faint marks on his neck?” Yunho brought one of the photos closer for a better view.

Sooyoung gave them a proud, yet sad smile.

“Your analyses are all great, oppa. Most of you were spot on. I’ll now tell you the whole story.” Making sure that all of them had a good look at the photos, Sooyoung continued.

“I took this after spending some time with the little boy, hence the happiness Siwon oppa pointed out. It has taken time for me to gain his trust, though. And like what Kyuhyun oppa’s said, his smile isn’t really all that happy. I’m glad your skills at looking past the surface have improved, oppa. This little boy has gotten adopted by a family not too long ago. Sadly, not all families are that great. He was starved for a few days as punishment for breaking a bowl. And the faint marks on his necks are fading bruises. Plus, because the family isn’t too happy with a ‘imperfect’ child, they refused to be bothered with him.”

Extracting yet another photo from her bag, Sooyoung immediately knew the type of reaction she’d get from the guys.

Intake of harsh gasps could be heard as curses that weren’t supposed to slip from the mouths of Idols went around.

This time, the photo was a full body shot that portrayed the tattered and dirtied shirt that was far too large for the little boy, whose frame consist of only skin and bones. Added to that was shorts that are way too huge for such a slim boy, held up by rough rope that showed scatters of red stains. Judging from the fresh scars on whatever visible skin there is, it wasn’t rocket science to figure out the whole story.

“Who’s the bastard?” Yunho seethed in anger.

Sooyoung calmly extracted the crumpled photo from his hands, carefully placing it back into her bag.

“Don’t worry. I’ve already brought him back to the adoption centre and made sure that he wasn’t to be sent back to his home. Someone’s there to make sure the procedure was done smoothly.” Sooyoung held Yunho’s hand in hers till he unclenched his fist.

“So, I’m done for the day. You guys are getting good. Anyway, what’s with the sudden meet-up today? I’m surprised when all of you texted me about meeting up today.” Sooyoung settled down on the floor, looking at all of them with a curious look.

Sooyoung looked at their shifty eyes and cautious coughing as each of them took out a photo from their bag before handing it over to her.

She knew, even before any of the photos reached her, that it was time for her to make a decision.

Hasn’t she known from the moment each of them treated her just a tad bit differently from other girls? She’d known even before they confirmed their own feelings and yet, Sooyoung chose to ignore it, thinking that if she pull it off for long enough, she’ll not have to answer to any of them.

How foolish she was.

How can she expect that with five stubborn males?

Knowing she couldn’t disappoint them by not looking at the photos, Sooyoung carefully took note of how each of them chose to portray their feelings for her, whether through their expression or the use of inanimate objects.

Taking a deep breath for courage, Sooyoung dug out her Polaroid camera before turning away to snap a picture of herself.

Turning back to them with the freshly processed photo, Sooyoung didn’t wait for the image to appear before leaving the room with a soft goodbye.

And as the girl they loved left the room, each of them could only hold back the hurt at her answer.

They were all trained enough by her to know what she was telling them with just that simple expression on her face.

On the photo itself was Sooyoung smiling brightly as she flashed her signature peace sign. Yet, it was the background of the photo that gave them the clear answer.

Sooyoung was skilled enough to know exactly the position of the photo she was taking… Which explains the background that was devoid of any of them, with only Sooyoung in it.

The answer was loud and clear to all of them.

That Sooyoung was happy with being single.