Bonus chapter on the first three months Kyuhyun and Ryeowook spent together ages ago. Thanks for sticking up with me till the end. And thanks for all the critics. Honestly, I feel great receiving them.

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"  When you came and you gave without taking

I sent you away  "

For the sixth months that Kyuhyun had spent his life with Ryeowook, Kyuhyun never knew anything about the smaller. He wasn't even bothered to know anything about him, except for the fact his family and Ryeowook's family - more like their grandparents and the parents alike - are best friends for life; he made sure that his life with the latter will not going to intersect.

He succeeded that in the first month of the forced-marriage as he and Ryeowook made a deal to save their life right at that moment. Besides, there was no other option for the lanky male unless he accepted the benefited bargain. That was all he cared about for after all - the money, and the inheritance.

"I know you want the inheritance so badly. So, here's the deal. These are the conditions from my part and if you want to add anything, it's up to you."

Kyuhyun took the A4 paper from the smaller, went through all the list of rules before adding three more points on the paper. "The person who breaks the rule has to compensate to the other beneficiary." Felt like in legal drama. "What would happen though, if one of us decides to call off the deal?"

"On what condition, you would think I want to call off the deal? But, if that happens... we can deal with it later?"

"You don't think all this through and through? Why do you offer the deal in the first place, then?"

Silence stretched between them.

"Okay, so we're going to pay to the other person half of the million if one of us decides to back off from the deal. Agreed?"

"What?!"

"You heard me." Kyuhyun then gave back the paper to Ryeowook.



Contract for Life

       1. No sleeping side by side in the same space.
       2. No touching each other - 25,000 won
       3. No lips-contact; accidentally or not - 75,000 won
       4. I'll cook and do the laundry; in return you're going to keep the house clean.
       5. Don't talk about each other's significant other in the house.
       6. Pretend when we are in front of our family.
       7. No touching my properties: games, clothes and other accessories - 10,000 won
       8. Don't invite friends over, unless you tell in advanced.
       9. This contract will last 6 months from now: 20050102 - 20050602



Eyeing the lanky in irritation, Ryeowook snickered, "Are you that desperate?" What's with all the figures? Crazy brat! "And if I can't touch your clothes, are you going to do the laundry by yourself?"

"That's what we called business, Wookie. I guess you can touch my clothes if you have to."

"Do not call me that." His voice is dangerously low. "You'd think I want to contaminate my hands touching your clothes?" Irritated, he continued rather calmly. "Once the sixth months are over, what's then?"

"I send you the divorce paper."
 

However, due to the constant ultimatum that coming from Kyuhyun, once the paperwork is printed out, Ryeowook belatedly realized the slight misspelling at the front page.

"You love insulting me, Ryeowook? You must be. Who do think you are? This is my name, my family name!" Kyuhyun's voice echoing in the closed wall, sending chill to everyone in the room, except Yesung as the cousin was well-aware that Kyuhyun would act offensively like that from the lack of sleep symptoms.

Therefore, Yesung rose from his seat, intending to stop Kyuhyun from screaming angrily at the smaller male.

"Stop right there." Unheeded, the intern lawyer continued his advancing.

Without breaking his eyes contact with Ryeowook, the lanky male demanded. "Cho Jongwoon, stop. I didn't ask for your help."

The venom spat out stung a bit. Cho Jongwoon - his adopted family name. Glancing, the lawyer hesitantly rooted to his spot. Despite that, he watched the younger cousin grabbing the smaller male's left hand using the right hand.

"Do you really know my name? Do you really know how to spell my name?!" In every question, the grip on Ryeowook's wrist tightened. Too blinded with anger, Kyuhyun didn't register that the bruise started to discolor the smooth skin.

"Answer me, damn it!" The paper on the table scattered all over.

Yet, the petite male didn't utter anything, not even apologizing for the mistake he has made, Though Kyuhyun added pressure onto his wrist, Ryeowook stopped struggling, as he knew there was no point in doing that. He maintained his eye-contact to Kyuhyun's grip on his wrist. It hurts like hell! 

The, all of the sudden, Ryeowook noticed that his jaw is snapped upward that he could see the wrath in the hazel brown eyes, looking all furious and boring through his brown eyes. "Did you say something?"

"No."

"Liar," Kyuhyun furrowed his eyebrows. "Say that again." The lanky male fastened his hold.

The overwhelmed pain flooded his senses as both hand grips onto his chin and wrist made Ryeowook disoriented with the excruciating torment. He can't help but blurt out the irreverent remark that has been residing at the back of his mind for quite a while. Softly and barely whispering, in a firm manner, Ryeowook said, eyes staring straight into Kyuhyun's. "You break the rule number two, Kyuhyun."

Baffled, Kyuhyun slowly loosened his grip, letting his both hands muscles relax. He released the small's sharp jaw (very slowly) and dropped his hand down, while his other right hand still clutched onto the wrist, albeit he has reduced the grasp.

"Write my name in a hundred pages." He ordered, making sure everyone in the room heard him. Without waiting for a response, he stormed out from the meeting room, leaving Ryeowook startled at the absence of Kyuhyun's unexpectedly warm hand. Though no one in the room really paid attention towards the small gesture, Yesung could clearly see the remorse emitting from his younger cousin, as the elder saw how gentle on the pale skin wrist leaving the smaller male dumbfounded.

"We take a break for fifteen minutes." Jongwoon filled in Kyuhyun's position as he was the second in command when the younger is absent.

Everyone relieved at the adjournment mention. Though, all of them knew that the youngest Cho has quite a temper, that was the first time they saw the lanky male blew up - Kyuhyun usually has a good composure despite how tough the situation would turn out to be; besides he needs to preserve his good reputation around the company.

At the end of the day, when all the meeting has successfully ended, Ryeowook refused to stay behind with the other staffs, thus giving Kyuhyun no room to object when the smaller male said that their parents would be waiting at the airport for them.

But due to the cold air around them when they were arriving in Seoul, the Kim's and Cho's can't help but let the fragile glassy hope crushed and smashed onto the hard stone. Though the outsiders would fall into the trap, the parents knew that Kyuhyun and Ryeowook was not exactly what people would call as compatible. They were like fire and ice - albeit they complement each other quite well, but the stubbornness in each one of them was sure troublesome.

And that was the last hope to save them, the last resort to amend the broken strings between the two. Hence, the parents stop playing matchmaker, opting to watch from afar, somehow afraid that the two of them will feel suffocated if they kept trying to step into the matters.

 

Placing his fingers on the ivory surface, he pressed each key one by one, as in testing whether he remembered the right note or not. Once he has done warming up his hand, he started humming the melodic tune on his own followed by the refined rhythm from the piano not long after that. The pianist continued playing the piano, drowning himself in the pool of music that reverberant across the room and he didn't hear the faint front door clicking downstairs - too caught up to realize.

Kyuhyun though he fished out his phone out from his jeans pocket, he however stopped halfway as the note swaying beautifully around the house struck his heart, leaving him astonished at the wonderfully melodious tune. As the lanky male laid the cellphone on the kitchen counter-top, he slowly paced towards the euphony of the string instrument.

By the time Kyuhyun reached at the doorway, his eyes automatically fixated on the pianist's backside. He watched the relax position of the other with fingers running along the keys, creating the lovely composition he'd ever heard. But throughout the second bridge, he realized that the piece of music was somewhat mellowed with full of yearning, as in hoping for something so it could stay afloat.

He thought the pianist would stop playing the musical note when the piece ended but what he didn't expect was that the musical composition to be played over and over. And somehow, after the third time he heard the same arrangement without any words accompanied, Kyuhyun learnt something he thought he had lost way back then.

Subconsciously, he tore his gaze away, turning himself around before leaning against the wall outside the room. Each time the piece is reiterated, Kyuhyun felt his heart was torn into two, yet at the same time the music itself patched back his senses up that when he was no longer had any control over himself, he quickly fled to his bedroom.

What the lanky male totally missed out was that the pianist tried his very hardest to stay composed throughout the whole role-play. Unfortunately, the latter couldn't as he had to stopped midway, barely noticed that his shoulder vibrating. The tears uncontrollably ran down his pale cheeks albeit he tried to hold them in. It was useless.