Yunho pushed the bowl of fruit aside. "I'm not hungry," he stated bluntly. Changmin sighed and stopped trying to tempt Yunho. 

"Then what do you suggest we do, hyung? We need our wits and our strength, but you don't seem well - you won't eat."

Yunho continued his solemn downward gaze in silence. His thoughts were running wild, perhaps he hadn't heard Changmin's question over the inward noise of his own. Something had been bugging him all night.

"Hyung?" Changmin shook Yunho's shoulder to gain his attention.

"Wait a minute," Yunho whispered, his posture suddenly raising in an alerted fashion. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Changmin listened intently. Silence. "I don't hear anything."

Yunho's posture slackened as the maknae told him exactly what he didn't want to hear. "Never mind, I think it was just the wind," Yunho said absent-mindedly, hoping that this would throw Changmin's keen sense of discovering what hasn't been said off-trail. 

Despite Yunho's efforts, Changmin persisted. "Hyung, what is it? What did you hear?”

Yunho didn’t want to reveal this to anyone, especially not Changmin. 

“It doesn’t matter, really,” he laughed half-heartedly, rising from the couch he had been reading on - about to make a quick escape. Changmin caught on like a fish on a hook. 

“Wait, hyung. You can tell me,” Changmin said consolingly, already blocking the escape route into the kitchen that Yunho had set his eyes on. Usually the maknae was known for his mischievous side, but there was a soft, deeply caring undercurrent about him which only those who he became close to could see. Yunho sighed and gave in, seeing no other escape from this trap of an apartment that they were being absurdly kept in against their will. Yet another luxurious trap.

They both sat down on the leather couch in silence for a short while. Yunho could only think about how to explain what was on the forefront of his mind to Changmin. Changmin did have many responsibilities; he was part of TVXQ after all, but Changmin felt like a brother to Yunho, and Yunho always took special care not to involve his family in potentially sensitive matters. Changmin had enough on his plate to worry about, he was sure. He decided to avoid telling the direct truth, as he couldn’t lie to his brother, but he gave his explanation enough detail to make it just enough so that Changmin would pry no further. “What should happen when you fall for someone?” Yunho broke the silence with an open, seemingly random question.

Changmin laughed. “Well, you obviously ask them to go on a date!”

Yunho followed up with a meek laugh, his hand cupped over the other in an attempt to express calm body language, but his forward, restricted pose expressed otherwise. 

“What if that someone was somebody who you can’t see, or hear?” He continued.

Changmin frowned and couldn’t help but express a wry smile as if to ask are you mad?, but then sensed the deeper meaning as Yunho’s dark eyes met his. He  gave Yunho’s question some thought before finally responding with: “hyung, you’ll know what to do. You’re strong and you know what’s best for us; you always do.” He patted Yunho on the head playfully before excusing himself to the bathroom.

But I don’t know, I don’t know what to do, Yunho silently argued, resting his weary head in his hands.