On Tuesday, the sixteenth day since Ryeowook had first met Yesung, Coco Bean was closed, much to the disappointment of its favorite customers. Siwon had planned for some quick renovations to be done in the small kitchen in the back and figured it would be better on everyone if he just closed the shop for the day. Leeteuk was spending his day sleeping, having been up late for the past several days. Sungmin was teaching an extra martial arts class in the afternoon because one of the other regular teachers was sick. Kibum was filming again and wouldn’t be around for the rest of the week. Ryeowook was sitting in his apartment, wondering why it was always his bad luck to get days off when he didn’t want them.

With a sigh, he turned his phone over and over in his hands, trying to decide what to do with his free time. He’d spent the morning cleaning his own kitchen and living room, but now was completely out of things to do. Suddenly, his phone vibrated; he jumped slightly and fumbled to read the short text message.

            Hi Ryeowookie~ ^^ Having a good day off?

His mood immediately brightened and he spent maybe half a second contemplating whether or not to reply to the text message before he just called his new best friend.

“Hello?”

“Jongwoon hyunggg, I’m so bored!”

He heard a laugh on the other end of the phone and couldn’t help but smile. “I’m sorry, little Ryeowookie. Where are your friends?”

“They’re all busy. I don’t have anything to do.”

Yesung imagined the cute, innocent pout on Ryeowook’s lips at that moment and felt his heart flutter. “Well, I have a coaching session this afternoon but you could come along if you wanted to and then we could do something afterwards. How does that sound?”

“Really, hyung? I’d love to meet one of your students!”

“I’ll pick you up in a few minutes, then. What’s your address?”

“Um…I’ll just wait for you by Coco Bean, okay? I’ll go there right now! See you soon, hyung!” Ryeowook hung up before Yesung had a chance to protest. Grinning from ear to ear, he bounced off of his bed, grabbing his coat and dashing out of the door. This day off was going to be much better than he thought.

~~~

Jongwoon had been getting ready to leave his house when he’d texted Ryeowook, remembering that the shop would be closed and he wouldn’t get to see him. Less than a minute after he’d sent the message, he’d gotten a phone call and had convinced Ryeowook to come to the vocal lesson with him. In that case, he decided, he’d take his car.

Less than a month ago, he’d splurged and bought himself a black Renault Samsung SM5 just because he wanted to. However, not long after purchasing it, he discovered that driving and parking in Seoul was often more trouble than it was worth and he ended up just taking the bus the vast majority of the time. He slipped into the driver’s seat, feeling the leather of the steering wheel and grinning. Without a second thought, he pulled out of the driveway.

~~~

Ryeowook was standing in front of the little coffee shop, his coat pulled tightly around him, his eyes swiping back and forth across the street, looking for any sign of Yesung. A cold wind picked up, ruffling his hair and making him sincerely wish that he’d brought a hat and mittens as well; he’d rushed out of his house without thinking about how it had recently snowed and would, therefore, be rather frigid. It wasn’t long before a car pulled over on the edge of the street, the driver honking the horn. Ryeowook stared at the car curiously, his confusion turning to delight when the window rolled down and he saw Yesung’s face behind the wheel.

“Hyung!” He hurried over, sliding into the passenger’s seat, thankful for the warmth. “I didn’t know you had a car!”

Yesung smiled, maneuvering his way back onto the main street. “I got it about a month ago, I guess. I don’t actually drive it much because I hate trying to find places to park in Seoul. Figured I’d drive it today though so we wouldn’t have to wait for a bus in the snow.”

“Thanks, hyung!” Ryeowook chirped, his smile lighting up his eyes. “So, where’re we going?”

“You know that little music store that I saw you in one day?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, I meet this student there and that’s where we have the lesson. I think you’ll really like him.”

“Kay!” Ryeowook could have bounced up and down in his seat but withheld his excitement. He was getting to spend practically the whole day with Yesung. This was like a dream.

~~~

Yesung pushed open the door to the little shop, Ryeowook trailing behind him like a puppy. Jongwoon waved to the man organizing sheet music on the shelves.

“How are you doing, Hangeng?”

“Alright, I guess. We’re staying in business, anyway.” Ryeowook noted the slight accent in the man’s voice and bit his lip gently, wondering where he was from.

“Is he here already?”

“Yeah, got here a couple of minutes before you did. He’s waiting in the back.”

“Thanks, Geng! This is my friend Ryeowook, by the way. Ryeowook, this is Hangeng, the owner of the shop.”

“Hello,” Ryeowook mumbled shyly, bowing deeply.

Hangeng smiled. “Hello there, Ryeowook-shii! Feel free to drop in any time!”

“Thank you.” The smaller man, feeling slightly uncomfortable, hurried to follow Yesung, who was heading toward the back. “Hyung, where is Hangeng-shii from?” he whispered.

“Hangeng is from China,” Yesung explained. “He came here a few years ago and set up this little shop not long after.”

“Ohhh…”

Yesung led the way into a room behind the storefront, grinning when he saw the back of a tall figure in the middle of the open space. “Hey Kyu! I brought a friend along; do you mind if he sits in on the lesson?”

The figure turned around and Wookie peeked out from behind Yesung; he nearly fell over.

“Kyuhyun?!” Yes, there was no mistaking it. That tall, skinny man with slightly curly dark brown hair was most definitely Cho Kyuhyun, one of his best friends in the entire world.

Kyuhyun blinked. “Ryeowook?”

“What are you doing here?”

“What are you doing here?”

“Wait, you two know each other?” Yesung was a little slow on the uptake.

Ryeowook nodded. “We went to University together and he’s one of my best friends. I thought you wanted to be a video game designer, Kyu.”

Kyuhyun shrugged, lazily dropping down into an empty chair. “Playing games is more fun than designing them. Besides, I’m still getting my degree in game development and computer programing; I just wanted to pursue singing a little more. Ever since I saw some of your songs last year, I’ve really wanted to try my hand at singing.”

“So you get voice lessons every day?”

“Yeah, pretty much. Just not on the weekends.”

Ryeowook sat down as well, slightly confused. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because you haven’t wanted anything to do with music since you got out of school. I figured you wouldn’t want to know.”

Kyuhyun made a good point. Usually the mention of music made Ryeowook flinch, though he had gotten better about it recently. The barista just made a face at the student, plopping down in a chair.

“Go ahead and start your lesson.”

Yesung decided to ignore that exchange for the time being and reached into his bag, pulling out a couple pieces of sheet music; he handed one to Kyuhyun and kept one for himself, then glanced over at Ryeowook.

“Can you play the piano?”

Ryeowook nodded, almost hesitantly. Yesung handed him a piece of sheet music as well, pointing to the piano in the corner. “Can you play this for us when I ask you to?”

Another nod, this one more hesitant than the first. He hadn’t touched a piano in over a year and a half. This would be interesting…

Yesung turned his attention to Kyuhyun as Ryeowook made his way over to the piano. “Okay, Kyu. This is technically a duet piece, so I’ll be singing part of it, but I think the range here is really nice. If you can tackle your parts in this song, you’ll be able to handle a large range of other music.”

Kyuhyun looked down at the song in his hands; Your Eyes. He opened the music, scanning the notes quickly. “Another ballad?”

“Your voice is really suited for ballads, Kyu. Besides, with all the pop groups today, having a good basis as a ballad singer will be to your advantage. We’ll work on more upbeat songs next week, probably, depending on how quickly you can master this one.”

Kyuhyun nodded, listening intently as Yesung began to explain specific parts of the song to him. Ryeowook watched in amazement; Kyu was known for being snarky and never showing a ton of respect to his elders, but here he was, completely serious and absolutely, one hundred percent nothing like the evil little child he liked to be. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he nearly missed Yesung’s request for him to start playing. Gulping, he glanced at the music, letting his fingers run over the keys for a moment before he began to play. And then, Kyuhyun began to sing.

He really had gotten better. Ryeowook had always loved his voice; it was somewhere between honey and hot melted chocolate, filling him with warmth and comfort every time he heard it. Yesung’s coaching, though, had really helped it evolve. And then there was Yesung’s voice. That nice, husky, rough voice that somehow melded almost perfectly with the smoothness of Kyuhyun’s.

“Wait, wait, wait.” Ryeowook rather reluctantly stopped playing; he wanted to listen to them sing. “Kyu, you were flat there. You also haven’t been injecting enough emotion into your voice. You’ve got to be able to move your audience with just your voice; on a recording, they won’t be able to see you or your facial expressions or your body language. You’ve got to have that emotion present in your voice.”

Kyuhyun nodded, though Ryeowook could tell that he was a little bit irritated.

“Again, from the top.”

~~~

“See you tomorrow, Kyu!”

“Bye Kyu! Thanks for letting me sit in on your lesson today! You sounded amazing!”

“Bye Ryeowook and Yesung hyung!” Kyuhyun waved, disappearing off into the crowd as he headed back to campus. Yesung looked over at Ryeowook.

“Alright, Wookie. What do you want to do?”

“Hmmm…” Ryeowook thought for a minute or two. “Dinner and then shopping!”

Yesung laughed, forever amused by the younger’s almost constant excitement. “Sounds good. Let’s go.”

~~~

After a nice dinner (at a, as Ryeowook insisted, significantly less fancy restaurant), the pair found themselves amongst a crowd of people at a nearby department store, staring in wonder at the elaborate Christmas displays. They walked through the halls almost aimlessly, window shopping and just chatting.

“So how have you been these past few days? Not getting enough sleep?” Yesung asked, noting Ryeowook’s large yawn; the younger man scrunched up his nose.

“I’ve been having some terrible nightmares recently, so I haven’t been sleeping really well. I can’t seem to get them to go away. But other than that I’ve been pretty good. Siwon hyung—he’s the owner of Coco Bean, by the way—said that we’re going to close the shop for two weeks around Christmas so we all get to have a nice, long vacation! And we’re going to have a Christmas party at his house!”

“We?”

“Yeah, all of us! Siwon hyung, Teukie hyung, Sungmin hyung, Kibum, Kyuhyun, Henry, Eunhyuk hyung, Donghae hyung, and maybe even Zhou Mi hyung if he gets back in time.” Ryeowook counted the people on his fingers as he said their names. “You should come with me! You can be my guest! Some of the others said they were going to bring guests too, so you should come!”

Yesung didn’t even think about it. “Of course! As long as it’s okay with your friends.”

“Oh, they’ll be totally okay with it, I can guarantee that! They’re all really friendly and nice, I promise. Besides, Sungmin hyung, Teukie hyung, and Kyuhyun love you already, so I’m sure the others will too.” There was something about Ryeowook’s sweet innocence that made Yesung feel safe, childlike, and completely comfortable. It was a feeling that, to be honest, he didn’t often have, so he cherished every moment that he got to spend with him. He glanced over at the window of a shop as they passed and suddenly put his arm on Ryeowook’s, pulling him to a stop.

“Wait here for a second,” he muttered before dashing off into the shop, a smile slowly spreading across his face.

Ryeowook blinked in surprise before just shrugging and plopping down on a nearby bench. Jongwoon hyung was funny. He was different than anyone else he had ever known and he loved that. Yesung was silly but so sincere and sweet that he couldn’t help but want to be around him. He seemed like the kind of man that would never want to see any friends of his hurt in any way. Ryeowook was glad that, for whatever reason, Jongwoon had decided to come into Coco Bean for the first time sixteen days ago.

Yesung appeared by his side not long after he’d left, holding something behind his back. Ryeowook, curious, tried to see what it was, but Yesung slid around so he couldn’t.

“Before I show you what this is, you have to promise that you won’t laugh and that you won’t say anything about how I shouldn’t have bought it.”

“Promise!” Ryeowook said automatically. “What is it, hyung, what is it?”

Yesung, his cheeks light pink, held out the bag, allowing Ryeowook to take it out of his grasp as he sat down on the bench. The barista, excited, peeked in the bag, pulling out a light purple teddy bear. He stared at it for a second before grinning like a four year old that had just been promised all the candy in the world. He hugged it close to his chest.

“Thank you, hyung! I love it!”

Jongwoon rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly a little embarrassed with his purchase. “I thought it might help you sleep better,” he mumbled. “And Sungmin said that purple was your favorite color, so…”

Ryeowook smiled, swatting his hyung on the arm. “Silly hyung; don’t be embarrassed. I love it! Thank you so much!” He pulled Yesung into a warm hug.

Yesung, who hadn’t been expecting that, hugged him back automatically, his brain practically shutting down when he found himself so close to Ryeowook. When the younger man let go, he nearly had to slap himself to get back to reality. Ryeowook put his bear back in its bag, hopping up and pulling Yesung up with him.

“Let’s go look some more, hyung!”

Yesung, his brain still not quite fully functioning yet, could only nod in response, trailing along behind Ryeowook.

~~~

It was nearly eleven o’clock when the pair finally left the department store; the teddy bear had been the only purchase between the two of them, but they’d enjoyed just looking and talking together. They were driving along when Yesung suddenly remembered that he didn’t know where to drop Ryeowook off.

“Wookie, where do you live?” No response. “Wookie?” He glanced over at the passenger’s seat; Ryeowook was asleep, clutching his bear tightly. Yesung couldn’t bring himself to wake him and eventually made an executive decision, turning and heading back to his own house.

~~~

Ryeowook was still asleep when Yesung pulled into his driveway, parking the car carefully and looking up at his house. It was a big place for just one person and almost too modern with lots of land around it. He got out of the car, unlocking his front door and propping it open before heading back and scooping Ryeowook into his arms, carrying him bridal style into the house. Quite without his noticing, his heartbeat quickened when Ryeowook’s head hit his chest. As quietly as he could, Jongwoon carried him up to the spare bedroom, placing him gently on the bed and pulling the comforter over his small body.

Yesung stood by the edge of the bed, watching him sleep and Ryeowook’s hair absentmindedly. Something Kyuhyun had said earlier that day kept floating around his brain: “Ever since I saw some of your songs last year, I’ve really wanted to try my hand at singing.” What did that mean, some of Ryeowook’s songs? Was he a composer? What had happened to make him so afraid of music now, if that had once been his dream? He sighed, wishing that his friend would explain everything to him. Maybe later. All in due time. As it was, the young man was asleep on his bed, looking like a perfect little angel.

Yay! An update! :D 

And, just a note -- I have the next two chapters almost entirely written out, so they'll be up very, very soon! :)

love,

afallingstar

PS -- You can find me on tumblr at http://seekingthestars.tumblr.com/. I always update this story through there as well, and sometimes post extra little fun facts, if you're interested~ ^^