The next morning, Ryeowook woke to the sound of soft giggles coming from beside his head. When he opened his eyes, confused, he found himself staring at an obviously-delighted Zhou Mi, who was sitting, Indian style, on the floor in front of the couch. As soon as he saw that the younger man was awake, Zhou Mi smiled.

“Wookieeee, you like him at least a little, don’t you?” The older man had decided last night that he would take a stab at getting Ryeowook to confess on his own, without the others. He figured that the barista might be more willing to talk if it was only to one other person.

Ryeowook turned light pink, carefully sliding out from under Yesung’s arm so he didn’t wake up his hyung before grabbing Zhou Mi’s hand and pulling him out of the room. He plopped down in a chair with a sigh; Zhou Mi sat in the chair next to him, leaning toward him expectantly.

“He’s…he’s really special to me, hyung. He means a lot to me.”

“Ryeo, there’s nothing wrong with liking Jongwoon hyung,” Zhou Mi said gently. “Nothing at all. He likes you so much. I don’t think he’s really put a name on his feelings yet because he seems a little confused, but he likes you so much, I can tell.”

Ryeowook pulled his knees to his chest, hugging them as he stared at the carpet. “But how can you tell, Mimi hyung?” he whispered.

“The same way I can tell that you like him.” Zhou Mi’s voice was quiet and he kept his eyes on his friend’s frame.

“And how’s that?”

“Your eyes light up when you talk about him. You always seem happier when you’re around him. You blush and protest far too much when anyone suggests the idea that you like him. He wrapped his arm around you when you were sleeping like he never wanted to let you go. He does whatever he can possibly do to protect you and help you. Sungmin told me he skipped several vocal lessons to take care of you when you were sick. Jongwoon hyung is a little slow on the uptake and he can be a little naïve sometimes. He heard you say that the two of you were just friends last night and so I think that he won’t confess his feelings now because he doesn’t want to lose you as a friend. You’ve got to be the one to say something.”

“I can’t, hyung. You know I’m shy.”

Zhou Mi stood up, leaning over and hugging Ryeowook. “Wookie, I believe you can do it. You can be a really strong person when you believe in yourself.”

Then he left, leaving the eternal maknae alone in the room with his thoughts and feelings, trying to figure out what to do.

~~~

Later that afternoon, Ryeowook and Yesung said good bye to the other boys and made their way to the older man’s car.

Ryeowook sat in the passenger seat, deep in thought about what Zhou Mi had told him earlier. The thought that his hyung actually liked him was thrilling but unbelievable and he wouldn’t let himself feel too happy about that prospect; there was always the chance that Mimi was wrong.

But there was always the chance that he was right, too.

About halfway to Ryeowook’s apartment, Yesung couldn’t take the silence anymore and finally spoke. “So, Wookie, why’re you so quiet this morning?”

“Because—” Ryeowook slapped his hands over his mouth to keep himself from blurting out what was really on his mind, his mind racing as he tried to come up with something to answer Jongwoon’s question with. “Um…I’m, um…thinking about a song I was writing…Um…”

Yesung’s smile lit up his eyes. “Really?”

“Uh-huh. But…I don’t know if it’s any good…”

“How about you sing it for me? Hum it or sing it, if you have lyrics in mind!”

“No! No, no, no, I can’t. I’m not…I can’t, Jongwoon hyung. I really can’t. It’s not a very good song and I’m not a good enough singer and I can’t.”

“Wookie, I’m sure it’s really a fabulous song. You really have a lot of talent and you should trust in it a little more. You should write down your ideas and flesh them out into a song. Let your feelings spill out onto the page; really pour your soul into it and whatever you write will be wonderful. Will you at least do that?”

Ryeowook bit his lip, but nodded slowly. “Yeah…”

“And when you do, will you show it to me?”

The barista paused for a moment before he answered, thinking it over. That, actually, could be perfect. If he wrote a song about his feelings, if he put them into written words, and then Jongwoon saw them…maybe…

“Yeah,” he said finally, smiling a little. “Yeah, I’ll show it to you when I’ve written at least some of it.”

“Good! I’m off work all this week, so whenever you want to get together, just give me a call.”

They pulled up next to Ryeowook’s apartment complex a moment later; the younger man grabbed his bag of presents from the backseat and smiled at his hyung.

“Thanks for the ride, Yesung hyung. I’m going to go write right now!”

Jongwoon laughed; the sound filled Ryeowook to the brim and made him beyond happy. “I’ll be waiting to see what you write!”

Ryeowook waved, dashing into the building and out of the gently falling snow. Yesung watched him disappear before sighing softly and driving away.

~~~

Three days later, on the thirty second day since they’d first met, Ryeowook hesitantly dialed Yesung’s number.

The phone rang three times before the older man answered and, when he did, he sounded slightly out-of-breath, like he’d been running to get to his phone before it stopped ringing.

“Hello?”

“Hi, hyung.”

“Ryeowookie!” The delight was obvious in Yesung’s voice. “What do you need, Ryeobear?”

Ryeowook’s mind went blank for a moment when he heard this new nickname but quickly regained his senses. “I…I wrote down part of that song and…I was wondering if you wanted to read it.”

“Of course I do! Where do you want to meet?”

“N-Namsan Park…” Ryeowook silently cured his stuttering, but Yesung didn’t seem to notice it.

“I’ll leave right now! See you in a bit!”

The line went dead and Ryeowook let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. He grabbed his notebook and a coat, heading for his front door.

~~~

He met Yesung at their usual spot at Namsan Park and almost immediately started trembling when he saw the other. Suddenly, he was beginning to doubt his idea. This was stupid. He shouldn’t have written his feelings about his hyung in song form. This was just a terrible, terrible idea. Jongwoon, however, smiled, waved, and seemed beyond happy to see the notebook in Ryeowook’s hand.

“So, did you just let your feelings rush out onto paper?” he asked when the smaller man was close enough, clapping at the timid nod he received in response. “Can I see it?”

Ryeowook bit his lip, hesitating for a second before holding his notebook out toward Yesung, who took it and opened it, flipping through the pages until he found one titled The Truth Is. His eyes slid over the notes, taking in each one individually before he heard them all together as a set. It wasn’t a whole song, he noticed, but it was at least a first verse and what could probably be a chorus; his heart swelled with pride. For not having touched music in over a year and a half, Ryeowook’s talent completely shone through.

“This is really good, Wookie. I really love the chorus part. It’s so heartfelt.” He kept his eyes on the paper, singing softly, “The truth is that I love you, and I need to know from you if you love me too. The truth is that I want you completely, so if you love me too, I need to know from you what the truth is.”

The sound of Yesung singing his song, singing those lyrics, made his heart nearly stop.

“Did you write this with a specific lady in mind?” The slightly playful tone of Jongwoon’s voice brought Ryeowook back to reality with a painful thump.

“Something like that…” he mumbled, sighing softly. That was his hyung for you. Never took a hint. Maybe it was better this way, he reflected. Maybe he knew about Ryeowook’s feelings but didn’t feel the same way. Maybe Zhou Mi was wrong. Maybe he was trying to let him down gently. Maybe it was better if they were just friends. Maybe it was better if he didn’t love Kim Jongwoon.

“There’s one more.” He leaned over, flipping through a couple of pages, not really wanting Yesung to see this song but desperately wanting to hear him sing again, especially since he’d written it specifically with his hyung’s voice in mind. “It’s called…um…It Has to Be You…” he mumbled out, not looking up at the vocal coach. He didn’t want to see his expression.

Jongwoon looked over the song, standing there for a moment in stunned silence. This…this song, with just a little bit of tweaking here and there, was good enough to be published. He looked over at Ryeowook, who was staring at the snow-covered ground, in surprise. He’d thought the man had a lot of talent, but he didn’t know he could write like this.

“I cannot send you away even one more time. I can’t live without you. It has to be you. I can’t be without you. It’s okay if I hurt for a day or a year. It’s okay if it hurts – it’s okay even if my heart hurts. It’s okay because I’m just in love with you.” His voice filled the cold winter air, enveloping Ryeowook in a cloak of warmth that he wished he could be wrapped in forever.

“Ryeowook…this is so good. This song is amazing. I can’t believe you almost gave up being a composer forever; for the world to have almost lost talent like this is a terrifying thought.”

Ryeowook turned a deep red color, continuing to stare at the snow. “Y-you’re over exaggerating, hyung. Its n-not t-that good…”

“Yes, Ryeobear, it is that good. It just needs a little bit of tweaking in certain places, that’s all. It’s practically good enough to be published right now.” Jongwoon paused for a second, then smiled. “Will you make me a promise?”

“Huh?”

“Will you make me a promise?” Yesung repeated patiently.

“Um…I guess so…”

“Promise me that you’ll work on both of these songs some more. Work on them until they’re absolutely perfect. Make them the best that they can possibly be. And I want you to work on writing an upbeat song. Both of these are ballads – they’re lovely ballads, but they’re still ballads. I want you to write something more uplifting. Can you promise me that?”

After a moment of thought, Ryeowook nodded. “I promise.”

Yesung smiled. “Good! Now, do you want to go shopping for a little bit?”

Ryeowook nodded again, this time with a broad smile. “Yes, hyung!”

~~~

After a full afternoon of shopping and a quick dinner, Jongwoon found himself back alone in his large house, laying on the couch, his mind full of thoughts of Ryeowook. He reached over onto the coffee table, grabbing the remote to his stereo and lazily clicking the play button, letting the first song that started playing wash over his being.

It was a Chinese song called “Wings of Love.” He didn’t speak Chinese except for a few words but he loved the way it sounded. He’d gotten Hangeng to tell him what it meant and had memorized the meaning.

“Your love is my wings; it gives me strength to go through everything. Touching moments and smiling are our specialty. Happiness and pain, you’re there to share it with me.”

He thought of Ryeowook, smiling and laughing as they wondered through the mall, looking at the after-Christmas sales and at the silly decorations. He thought back to the terrified and sick Ryeowook, looking so small and frail after he’d finally spilled the story of his past. He thought of the purple teddy bear that he’d bought the little barista and the way his eyes had sparkled when he saw it.

Reality (finally) hit him like a ton of bricks right in the face.

He loved Ryeowook.

He loved everything about him, from his voice to his shy giggles to his desire to help all of his friends but never receive help himself. That was what these feelings were. That was what these pesky feelings that had been affecting every aspect of his life were. He loved Ryeowook.

His phone rang.

He jumped, not expecting to hear the familiar ringtone, and grabbed his phone, not even looking at the number.

“Hello?”

“Yesung?”

His heart sank. For a brief moment, he’d thought it was Ryeowook. It wasn’t; it was one of the executives that he worked with at SM. He listened carefully as the man spoke, his heart plummeting further and further as the conversation continued. By the time it was over, he was far more depressed than he’d ever been in his life.

Well, he thought as he hung up the phone, this ruins everything.

And here's Chapter Thirteen, my lovely cupcakes! <3 

Our little baby Yesung has finally realized his feelings! Who's happy about that? :)

I've got Chapter Fourteen all planned out; I just have to write it! Hopefully it'll be up soon!!

love,

afallingstar