Sungmin walked inside the crew room of the fastfood chain he was working at. His head is aching from the loud chattering of various people in the store. He muttered a silent gratitude as he removed the cap on his head and sat on the sofa that doesn’t look like a sofa across the crew locker.

Finally his working hours was over!

“What a long day.” He exhaustedly sighed as he took off his shoes and carefully massaged his aching feet that were tortured for the last 8 hours of standing and walking around the small counter of the store.

Eunhyuk, his co worker and who also happened to attend the same University with him gave him a look.

“I wonder why people roam around the city in the middle of the night before Christmas comes. They should spend their day with their love ones and give mercy to people like us who works our off and skip this special occasion in order to earn money. Well, good thing it’s double pay today or else I’ll skip.” Eunhyuk complained on his behalf. He fixed his uniform as he walked towards the huge mirror of the room.

Sungmin shrugged. “Where’s Donghae?” He asked, continuously massaging his feet.

 “He was kind of a fussing about me having work on Christmas Eve and how the government should give justice for laborers for working on holidays and I told him today is double pay and I’m not a rich kid like him who can afford University expenses and I left.” Eunhyuk said.

Sungmin gave him a what-the-eff look. “You left him? Alone? On Chirstmas eve?” He can’t believe how awful Eunhyuk is as a boyfriend.

“It was part of the plan.” Eunhyuk has this huge smile in his face revealing his gummy mouth. He looks like he’s up to something and Sungmin never bothered to ask what is it cause he knew Eunhyuk will call him afterwards to tell every detail of the story and he doesn’t want to spoil everything. “I’m off in 4 hours so I’ll make it before Cinderella’s time comes. Plus, I need to work double time for a moment. The amount of gift I bought for him is a no joke that when he see it… oh god… I’m afraid he’ll think I busted a bank.”

Sungmin laughed on his friend’s joke. “Woah! That’s the first. I’ve never seen you spend that much.  You cheapskate bastard, as you might be.  Donghae must be the one, you think?”

Sungmin smiled. Eunhyuk’s face turned white to pinkish and he knew Donghae might be the one who can change this cheap bastard. He met Donghae for a few times already and he could say that Eunhyuk had finally dated a human. Well, disregarding the fact that sometimes he finds Donghae a little clueless but nevertheless it was cute and he thinks Eunhyuk thinks so too.

“I’m gonna take that as a yes.” He said before he walked inside the bathroom and changed his clothes.

“You’re not spending your Christmas Eve alone again, are you?” Eunhyuk asked from the outside of the bathroom and Sungmin, for a moment stopped from ing his polo.

How long has it been again when he spent his Christmas with someone? Two? Yeah, this year is the third one, his third Christmas Eve and Christmas alone.

“I’m gonna go meet a friend.” Sungmin lied and continued on changing his uniform to his normal clothes.

When Sungmin went out from the bathroom he saw Eunhyuk standing in front of him as he stares at him with a worried look. “You can’t be alone forever.” Eunhyuk said.

Sungmin darted his eyes away. “I’m gonna go meet my friend.” He said and walked away. Eunhyuk called him but he pretended not to hear.

Christmas season was rather a nightmare for Sungmin and that what makes him different from most of the people who anticipate the blissful feeling of the season. The month of December was like cyclone that has taken away his ability to see the light of the sun.

Through and through, day after day, night after night every single day of December, all he hears are painful screams and agony. It haunted him and what made it worst is he didn’t have the ability to make the pain go away.

The winter wind blew against him and Sungmin shivered in chills. With his still aching feet, he decided to walk around first, not wanting to go home and remember those nightmare while wide awake.

 His footsteps lead him to the rehab center.

Sungmin quietly opened the gate and closed it afterwards. He made his way on the garden behind the house and he was a little surprised to see Cho Kyuhyun sitting on the swing, his elbows are rested on his thighs as his head was on his palms.

“You’re here.” Sungmin said, almost like a whispered that blew with the winter wind.

Kyuhyun raised his head and looked at him. Sungmin decided to sat on the other unoccupied swing beside Kyuhyun. He slightly swayed a bit.

There was an awkward silence between the two of them and none of them wanted to speak.

Sungmin never shared a long conversation with Kyuhyun other than casual one. Ever since Kyuhyun had been a part of the volunteer team, he had isolated his self from the other. He attends his daily session quietly and leaves quietly as well.

But a lot of the patients grew fond of Kyuhyun nonetheless, including Sungmin if he’d be honest. Kyuhyun, unlike any other volunteer had treated each and every patient as someone with cancer but yet not different from the normal ones. He never gave them special attention but rather everytime he comes he converse with them like a friend visiting another friend.

There were no words of encouragement nor chats like ‘you can do it’, ‘everythig will be fine’ and ‘I’m here’. Instead he listened to every patients incredulous complains about dying and not being able to survive. He listened to their worries and fears. He was there to listen.

Kyuhyun’s way of comforting was listening, Sungmin had always thought of that as something differently good.

“Do you think those people who died of cancer go to heaven?” Sungmin silent wonder every night came into words at that moment. He looked up, seeing the sky filled white dusty crystal stars made a nostalgic feeling in his heart.

Sungmin heard Kyuhyun sighed. “Do you think that brat Ryeowook who died of cancer got to see heaven?” Kyuhyun laughed a little but Sungmin felt the mellow sadness in Kyuhyun’s voice. He was not the only sad person on Christmas Eve after all.

“Do you think that stupid Yesung get to see heaven?” He asked back with a faint smile.

Sungmin had always wondered… what kind of people goes to heaven? Are those people who are kind and pure hearted get to see what heaven looks like? Does people who died from a certain illness goes to heaven as well? Then maybe, his Yesung and Kyuhyun’s Ryeowook have probably met in heaven.

 “Remember that time when we first met and you asked me why I decide to volunteer?” Kyuhyun spoke after the minutes of their once again awkward silent that surrounds them.

“Hmm.”

 “That was because…” There was a moment of pause before Kyuhyun continued. “Because it was Ryeowook’s dream. But he wasn’t able to fulfill it… not even once.” Kyuhyun tried not to choke as he speaks but he failed big time.

Sungmin stayed silent, waiting for Kyuhyun to continue his story. This time he doesn’t want to hear everything out of curiosity but somewhat he wanted to listen. He wanted Kyuhyun to feel that he was not the only person who can listen to other people’s story. He wanted to make this almost stranger beside him that he’s not alone in the struggle of lost.

“I met Ryeowook in …”

As Kyuhyun started his story about his lost… Sungmin listened silently along with the dust in the sky. For the first time after three years he was not alone. Not alone in Christmas Eve neither in his solidarity.

They might not have shared the longest nor most interesting conversation from before but that doesn’t mean that you can never share the deepest conversation.

And maybe Eunhyuk was right… He can’t be alone forever.

-----

The loud cricket sounded across the garden of the rehab center. The night gone deeper and the wind came a little colder and yet the two people, having a talk, gave the atmosphere a warm feeling of seclusion.

“It was not easy.” Kyuhyun said. “Ryewook was not different from everybody but the moment I fell in love with him… that moment… he became different for me.”

Kyuhyun have no definite idea why for the first time he drank a bottle of beer , came at the rehab center and mostly he have no idea why he was talking his heart out to his senior Lee Sungmin. If it was because of the effect of the alcohol or the comfortable feeling he felt when Sungmin sat beside him, he have no idea.

“Do you still love him?” Sungmin asked.

Kyuhyun stared blankly at nowhere. “I still can’t find a reason not to. Not even his death.” He answered, a bittersweet reality that up until now he’s still in love with Ryeowook.

That after all the months of his so called struggle of moving on, he still can’t get to visit Ryeowook’s grave cause he’s heart believes that Ryeowook, the only person he had loved was long gone.

Sungmin smiled faintly. “My brother, Yesung, has brain tumor. He died exactly…” Sungmin paused to look at his wristwatch that read 11:33PM. “Well exactly 3 years ago now. When our parents died, Yesung was the one who became my mother, my father and my brother. He took good care of me….” Sungmin’s eyes where a little misty and his voice broke a little.

That moment, the loud cricket decided to sympathize and made a silent pause.

“That’s why when we discovered that he suffers from brain cancer... I… I gave all my life to take good care of him. Yesung was one of the patients in the rehab. I tag along with him, made myself as a volunteer to look after him and take good care of him. I wanted him to feel that I’m here. He was not alone in the fight. I…” Sungmin sobbed, unable to control his feelings.

Kyuhyun watched the tears that rolled down the older man’s cheeks. There was a heavy grief in his heart, knowing that he was not alone with the feeling of longing. There was someone like Sungmin aand some other people like him and Sungmin who also lost someone important in their lives.

 He envied Sungmin for a while. Sungmin was able to cry… he was able to cry… while he on the other hand was a coward to face the fact that Ryeowook was gone.

“I too was fighting. I was fighting with him and everytime his head ache like hell... I could hear everything and all I did was watched him suffer… If only… If only I could suffer with him, Kyuhyun. I would suffer with him… I would take the pain instead of seeing him so miserable.”

Sungmin buried his face on his palms. Kyuhyun reached out his arms to tap on Sungmin’s trembling shoulder.

No comforting words can compensate any pain Sungmin and Kyuhyun was feeling at that time. The silence and those tiny sobs where all enough for them.

They were both suffering in the pain of lost. But one of them was in the state of healing and one of them is still in the state of accepting.

The clock strikes midnight, it was Christmas time. The dusty sky was filled with colorful fireworks and the whole city is rejoicing. Yet, two people in the corner of the city were sharing the same pain of longing and sadness… and two people from somewhere out of the universe where hoping that one day they can heal their wounded hearts.

A/N: Yaaaay! As promised the PART 2 is here ^^> /throw confetti/ Hahahaha. Uhm… I think this fanfic is a little longer than expected. T________T I don’t know how long but not really that long. (What?) hahaha. Cause I was planning to write this as 2-3 parts but I think… it might exceeded. You’ll still read right? You’ll still ready my oh so lame story right? Or maybe not?

I’ll try to finish it ASAP… really! Summer vacation is ending soon and I might be busy with school (Ekkk ><)

SPAZZ: Good news!!!! SUNGMIN WILL JOIN 7^TH JIB!!!!! ASDFSAHSJDHSJDKALSA; OKAY CALM! ASGHDGHASKDJALDK MEANING MORE KYUMIN MOMENTS FOR US JOYERS ;A;  /le hugs everyone/

Okay done.

Sorry for my bad English and wrong spellings btw T_____________T

I wrote a long author’s note again ToT Sorry. -____-

Enjoy reading ^^

<3