Once in Sungmin's room, Kyuhyun turned to face said boy. Sungmin stood in the middle of the room with his free hands clasped in front of him with the piece of duct tape still on his mouth. He stared at Kyuhyun; although, he had been the kind one to Sungmin, he was still a bit frightened.

 

“...Oh.” Kyuhyun finally acknowledged that the tape was still over Sungmin's mouth and made a quick move towards Sungmin. As Kyuhyun stepped forward, Sungmin stepped back.

 

“Oh! I-I'm not going to hurt you, I told you before...I just want to take the tape off.” Kyuhyun said still reaching forward gently.

 

Sungmin reached up at this point and peeled the tape off his mouth himself. “I-I can do it,” he said weakly once the tape was off. When he finished speaking, he looked up worriedly at Kyuhyun.

 

“I already told you, I won't hurt you. Please trust me.” Kyuhyun pleaded.

 

Sungmin looked in the direction of his nightstand and quickly back to Kyuhyun's eyes.

 

“D-did you take the picture?” Sungmin asked, a bit frantic.

 

“Huh...Oh! The picture you wanted me to get for you?” Kyuhyun asked upon realization. Sungmin nodded frantically and watched intently as Kyuhyun reached in his back pocket and pulled out the small picture frame of the two small twins.

 

Sungmin hesitantly took the frame from Kyuhyun's hands, almost as if making sure the picture wouldn't get damaged. He cradled the picture in his hand and searched it for any flaws.

 

“I was going to give it to you, but Kangin called me into the kitchen...I'm sorry.” Kyuhyun said. He was looking at Sungmin as if he was a hurt puppy. He didn't want Sungmin to be hurt or sad.

 

Upon hearing one of his captors apologize, he looked up to meet Kyuhyun's eyes.

 

“Why are you apologizing?” Sungmin asked.

 

“I-” He was going to say that he was sorry for not bringing him the picture right away, but that wasn't all he was sorry for. No, he was sorry for many more things. He had apologized a lot before, but he needed Sungmin to know.

 

“I'm sorry for everything. I, honestly, didn't want this to happen. I didn't want anyone to get hurt! This wasn't even the plan! This shouldn't be happening! You shouldn't be here, like this! I'm sorry! I'm so-” under all the pressure, Kyuhyun finally began to crack. However, the pressure had not gotten to Sungmin, yet.

 

Without missing a beat, Sungmin stepped forward and placed his hand on Kyuhyun's shoulder.

 

“Shh...You're being too loud. Calm down.” Sungmin said. He had laid the picture frame on his bed and was now trying to comfort the frantic Kyuhyun.

 

Kyuhyun had slumped over and covered his face with his hands, trying to will the tears of frustration away. It wasn't working much, but having Sungmin trying to calm him down helped.

 

“I-I'm just so sorry.” Kyuhyun whimpered when he finally calmed down a bit.

 

“It-It's okay...well, not really. But it's okay.” Sungmin said awkwardly, still patting Kyuhyun's shoulder to calm him.

 

“I'm sorry.” Kyuhyun couldn't stop from repeating himself. He regretted ever agreeing to help Kangin with his 'cause' in the first place.

 

“Fine. Just sit down.” Sungmin said, pulling Kyuhyun to sit at his desk while he made to sit on his bed, picking up the picture frame in the process.

 

There was a moment of silence. However, it wasn't uncomfortable or awkward; it was almost...peaceful?

 

“Why are you doing this?” Sungmin finally asked, not looking up from the picture frame he had been staring at.

 

“I'm not doing it...Well, I was. But I have no part in it now.” Kyuhyun answered. He wanted Sungmin to understand that he had no part in holding him hostage. “Kangin...Kangin needs money, I guess. He's...He's robbing your house.” Kyuhyun took a moment to look at Sungmin's reaction, or lack-there-of. Sungmin didn't even look up when he heard his house was being robbed right under him. “But I made him promise not to touch you. That's why we are up here.” Kyuhyun finished.

 

Sungmin just nodded his head, still not looking up. Kyuhyun just stared at him, unaware of what he should be doing or what exactly was going through Sungmin's head.

 

Finally Sungmin looked up. “Why did you choose me? Is that why you stayed outside the cafe everyday?” Sungmin asked, staring directly at Kyuhyun.

 

“I-No. I didn't choose here, it was Kangin. But, no, that's not why I was outside your cafe.” Kyuhyun was taken aback at the sudden subject choice. He didn't want to try to explain that he had basically been stalking Sungmin.

 

“So why were you always outside the cafe?” Sungmin asked without missing a beat.

 

“I...I don't know. That's just where I ate lunch.” Kyuhyun said, breaking eye contact with Sungmin.

 

“At eight in the morning? And then you would still be there when I left.” Sungmin deadpanned.

 

Kyuhyun didn't know how to respond to that. He couldn't come up with a legitimate excuse for why he was there all day other than the truth, that he was there for Sungmin; so he chose to change the subject all together.

 

“Why did you want that picture so bad?” He asked. He was looking at the picture in Sungmin's hands, only to avoid looking Sungmin in the eye.

 

Sungmin took a moment to decide if he wanted to tell a complete stranger about his brother and his life. He was horrified with himself when he realized he felt comfortable enough with Kyuhyun to tell him. Sunghee was his secret, was his treasure, his savior when no one else was there for him; how could he so easily share him like this. However, in his circumstances, Sungmin felt that he may only have one chance to share this secret with someone, especially Kyuhyun. He didn't know if his other captor would keep his promise to Kyuhyun of keeping him safe and he wasn't afraid of dying, but he didn't know if he wanted Sunghee to be his secret forever.

 

“It's my brother.” Sungmin said looking at the tiny picture frame.

 

“But..don't you have a younger brother?” Kyuhyun asked, finally looking at Sungmin. “The kids in the picture look the same age.”

 

“Well, we were. We were twins. It's me and my brother Sunghee. He-” Sungmin stopped short. Everything he was saying was coming out too easily for his liking. How was he so willing to share this all of a sudden, and with his captor of all people.

 

“He, what?” Kyuhyun asked. He was trying to push him to continue, but he didn't want to make Sungmin do something he didn't want.

 

“B-Before I tell you. Can you tell me why you were always outside the cafe?” Sungmin asked, looking up at Kyuhyun.

 

Kyuhyun didn't want to sound cheesy and admit that he honestly believed he had fallen in love at first sight with a boy he had never spoken with. Hell, he didn't want to even talk about it with anyone. But some sort of clarity formed in his brain and told him that no matter what happens by the end of this, Sungmin would probably never want to see or speak to him ever again, and so what was the point of hiding his feelings anymore.

 

“I think I fell in love with you when I walked by once. I...oh.” Kyuhyun realized what he blurted out and paused. Well, why not finish digging the grave he was about to throw himself into. “I was too nervous to go and talk to you, so I just stayed in the park and watched you come and go. I'm know I'm ed up. But after this, you won't have to see me again.” Kyuhyun finished quickly.

 

“Oh.” Was Sungmin's only response. Kyuhyun found it fitting; how else would you react to a stranger confessing that he loves you?

 

Sungmin looked back to his picture and contemplated everything. In his head, he was silently asking Sunghee for help. What should he do? What should he say? What was wrong with him, that he didn't feel weird after Kyuhyun confession? Was he so ed that he craved love and attention from anyone? The baby Sunghee only stared at him, and for the first time ever, was not much of a help to Sungmin.

 

However, Sungmin even took this as a sign. A sign that Sungmin needs to decide when it comes to love and when to take it and when to give it; Sunghee couldn't help him here.

 

“Okay.” Sungmin said. He wasn't sure if he was saying it to Kyuhyun, Sunghee's image, or himself. But it seemed to be enough for everyone.

 

“Hmm... I'm sorry.” Kyuhyun said. What else should he have said?

 

“Stop apologizing!” Sungmin nearly shouted. He looked up at Kyuhyun and the two finally made eye contact. “You are apologizing for everything! For locking me in the closet and for holding me hostage, but then you say that you have nothing to do with it. You apologize for what your friend it doing, but you say he promises not to hurt me. You apologize for confessing you love me, but you don't know how I really feel! Nothing has happened; I'm not physically hurt, stop apologizing, Jesus!” Sungmin finally let out his frustration on a shocked Kyuhyun.

 

“Okay...” Kyuhyun said once he registered what was going on.

 

He wasn't sure what he should say next so he figured he should go back to their old subject.

 

“So what happened to your twin?” Kyuhyun asked.

 

“Why are you saying you love me?” Sungmin responded immediately, starring daggers in Kyuhyu.

 

“Oh...” Kyuhyun mumbled. If he wasn't sure what to say before, he had not ing clue what to say now. “I-”

 

“You shouldn't say you love people unless you really do. You don't know me, so you can't love me. Don't say it.” Sungmin interrupted.

 

“But I-”

 

“No! There are no 'but's in this. You can't love me. How could you?” Sungmin interrupted again.

 

“I thi-”

 

“Stop. You can't pos-” Sungmin tried to interrupt again.

 

“Stop it!” Kyuhyun yelled. “Let me finish what I'm trying to say before you say I can't love you. I-I agree that it's crazy and stupid, but something made me need to at least see you everyday. I literally got depressed when you weren't working. What does that mean? ...It may not mean I love you, but it sure as hell means something!”

 

Sungmin just starred at Kyuhyun as he rambled in reasons for loving a boy he had never met.

 

“And-And then when I saw you here, I-I don't know what happened. I didn't know Kangin was going to do this, but it honestly made me want to kill him for hurting you. I've never said a word against what Kangin does, but after he locked you in the closet, I punched him an-”

 

“Is that why you have a bruise?” Sungmin asked in the middle of Kyuhyun's rant. There was a gentleness in his voice that hadn't been there minutes before.

 

“What? Oh, yeah. Umm.. he's stronger, clearly.” Kyuhyun said awkwardly. He was still trying to stop his heart from racing as he was pouring out his feelings.

 

“And...You said you did it for me? Hit you friend?” Sungmin asked. Again, the gentleness was obvious. Kyuhyun felt he may have reached through to him.

 

“I-Yeah, I did. I didn't want him to hurt you again.” Kyuhyun confessed.

 

“Okay.” Sungmin said. Again, he wasn't sure who exactly he was saying it for. He wasn't convinced that Kyuhyun loved him, but he thought there was a chance Kyuhyun could care for him. He only ever remembered people caring for him when Sunghee was alive, after he died, no one cared. Sungmin could barely remember what it felt like to have someone genuinely want the best for you. He was guessing the comfort he felt with Kyuhyun meant the Kyuhyun cared for him. “He died.”

 

“What?” Kyuhyun asked, genuinely confused.

 

“My brother, Sunghee. He died. When we were still young.” Sungmin said, not looking up from the picture frame. He would need Sunghee's help if he was going to tell Kyuhyun his secret.

 

“Oh...I'm sorry.” Kyuhyun said. “But in a different way than before. I'm sorry you lost your brother.”

 

“I understood what you meant.” Sungmin said. “It was my fault.”

 

“What?”

 

“Sunghee, it was my fault he died.” Sungmin said, finally looking up at Kyuhyun.