Kyuhyun's pov:

That afternoon I still had troubles into focusing on my work. The sun was slowly setting and the sky darkened outside, letting me no other choice than switching on the lights in my office.

His birthday...like, really? Couldn't I come with something less lame than that? 1-2-3-4 would have been a perfect code to input, a bit too mainstream, but perfect! Why did I choose his birthday instead?

Luckily I had been woken up from my thoughts by Yesung's unexpected arrival. He didn't even announce himself...I just lifted my head from the desk and watched him coming in and quietly sit on a sofa in the middle of the room, pretending to make himself at home.

"What's wrong with you, Kyu? Too many thoughts, I guess..." he said, and I examined his every move, as Yesung was taking off his polished black leather shoes with the point of his toes and lifted his legs, stretching them both on the low table. He pushed his back on the backrest and tilted his head backwords, while loosening the knot of his silk tie. He took a deep breath and decided to definitely took it off: "That's better..." he commented, muttering.

Yesung was a great friend and he had a successful career, but...I hated whenever he showed up without prior notice and behaved like that. I frowned for a bit and finally took the chance to say what I thought: "Could you please move your feet from there? It's the same place where I sign contracts for work...it's a bit inappriopriate, don't you think?" I snorted out.

Yesung laughed then and looked at me from behind his eyeglasses: "You never bothered anyway, why now? Did something bad happen to you this morning?" 

"I bothered, but never told you..." I gestured with my fingers in mid air, pointing at the door: "...and, since you seem not to notice that, I've got a pretty secretary outside who takes notes and appointments for me. Her tasks include announcing visitors for the president, who is me, so...why are you so indelicate to show up this way?"

I had pressed the right button then, because Yesung didn't have any words to reply and just shrugged. Right after having mentioned my secretary, I saw her knocking on the door and let her in. Yesung immediately moved his feet and sat straight, a bit embarrassed then. "Thank you, miss Yoon..." I felt like spontaneously thanking her, because Yesung had a reputation to defend and being busted as the lazy and messy type wasn't in his plans.

She looked at me, questiong why I had spoken without even letting her say the reason of her visit. I simply smiled then and she approached my desk, handing me some folders: "Everything's ready and settled for the party, however, I wanted to let you know that I did my best, but it seems that we cannot contact anybody to commit with the music...No artists, bands or djs are available with such little notice...What should we do?" 

I took quite a while to fully understand what she was telling me. I discreetly took a look at her outer appearence. Yoon Soyeon. She wasn't that younger than me, just a couple of years, but she looked very mature for her age and had a quite great resume. When choosing for a new secretary, I couldn't ignore the fact that she had already collected a significant experience by working for some hotel management, and therefore knew how to do her work. It had been two years since she first joined the team, but I think she already knew that I liked to look at her from time to time, because she gradually changed her look from a simple one to a more chic and slightly provocative attire. Her thin legs surely did know how to walk in those high heels and make a man turn to see them active.

My eyes went from her hips hidden underneath the light white shirt, to her face, and then to Yesung's, who was looking at me with a certain gaze of disapprovement.

"So...you're saying me that we don't have anyone who could play music at the party...that's not a great answer to give to your president, miss Yoon, you know, right?" I liked to scold my workers while pretending to stay calm. I knew that, whenever I acted the understanding yet scheming boss, they were freaking inside...I added a half smile, but strangely my secretary didn't react as everyone else would in that case. She was always somehow a step ahead. My own game got me easily fed up and I didn't wait for her to reply: "Fine, don't worry too much...I'll figure something out...you can go." I dismissed her and she bowed both to me and to Yesung, before going away.

"Tsk, tsk..." Yesung was shaking his head. We were alone again "You were literally eating her up with your eyes!"

I myself found the backrest of my office chair and sunk there, looking at the ceiling and playing with a pencil in my fingers: "She's pretty, but not my type...that's all..." I replied. The only thing that was missing, and that I didn't want to add up to my current concerns, was that Yesung could think of me being the classic ert boss, who would have harrassed his female employees anytime.

"Because I surely know who'd be your right type...By the way, why don't you simply ask Ryeowook to show up at the party, then? It seems that the matter is pretty urgent..."

I gulped then and looked at Yesung with wide eyes. He, better than anyone else in my life, knew about my situation, and that's why I got so shocked that he could come up with a stupid second-plan like that one.

"Don't look at me like that!" He's in Korea, he's kinda reachable because he works with Eunhyuk and Donghae and he's a famous pianist! Time is ticking and you won't find anyone else available for the party!" he was trying to look all innocent, but his words sounded right.

"Listen, Yesung. I'd really like to know what kind of rotten food you ate for coming up with such a crazy idea! You know that..." he immediately interrupted me and sounded quite serious in his speech "...I know that you don't want to bump into him again! But please, carry on with your life! You cannot live this way anymore! Always lingering on to the past, thinking of Ahra...what's done is done! You can't travel back and save her! Don't you think it's time to move on? Ryeowook doesn't even live here, it's been a coincidence, a not good one, okay, but it's a mere coincidence! He'll be back in France as soon as he finishes his work here and you will never see him again. But at the moment you might even exploit the fact that you know him, in order to save your party!"

He was right. There was no other choice, unless I wanted to exclude music from this year's party, making it look so cheap for the first time in 4 years...

I wanted to speak and tell him that, but he kept on going: "...and besides, I've always told you this: you rush to conclusions without thinking with that outstanding brain you brag too much to have! When something happens you need to listen to both sides of the story and...when Ahra passed away, you only believed what you saw..." that was too much, I slapped my hands on the desk and yelled at him: "Wait there! Are you telling me that with such a strong evidence I would have better believed something else? My sister died!" 

He sighed, running his fingers through his hair and putting away his glasses soon after: "I'm not saying that...I wasn't even in Korea at that time, I was in Japan because I had started university! I don't know what happened, I only know what you told me, but I'm not letting myself to be influenced by it...and okay, I don't know Ryeowook at all, but I remember pretty well your phone calls, when you first revealed me that you had found a good guy in him!"

He was right, again. Ten years before, when I first got together with Ryeowook and I was slowly getting awareness of my feelings for him, my best friend was abroad. Yesung, being older than me, had already enrolled in Tokyo's best university and he was studying hard, leaving me back in Korea, completely by myself. Therefore, since he had always been more like a brother to me than a simple friend, I always spent many hours with him over the phone and told him everything that occurred in my life. Ryeowook was no exception. Yesung knew that I had fallen in love with him... 

"You were pretty much surprised to know that I liked a boy, Yesung!" the thought of it made me exclaim.

"Sure...I don't deny that, and I even told you to wisely analyze your feelings for him, but you were so dragged in that nothing could ever make you change your mind! Wait...isn't it that you exploited Ahra's accident just because you felt ashamed of your feelings for him and guilty for betraying Ahra's trust?"

"I've never been ashamed for loving Ryeowook..." I mumbled then. I blushed, I knew I did, because the temperature seemed to have risen at once. I had never been ashamed for feeling such a strong sentiment for him...I'd never been ashamed, to the extent that every time I ended up thinking about him during all these years, his smile pictured in my memories always made me forget about all the hatred I had gathered towards him because of what happened to Ahra. Those were my daily inner struggles between love and hate...and they drove me crazy.

"What about your sister's trust then? She was in love with him as well, she must have caught a quite big shock for discovering you two together...Maybe, for you it was more like abandoning Ryeowook to ask for your late sister's forgiveness? Have you tried to think of it that way?"

I stood up abruptly then: "That's all for today..." I gathered my folders and grabbed my bag. I didn't want to listen to Yesung's explanations anymore. He didn't know what I was dealing with, especially after meeting Ryeowook in person after so long. He wasn't the same innocent, pure and bright boy I had fallen in love with...and I did better to push him away from my mind and life, that time was the decisive one. "You would have better worked as a psychologist, you know that, right?" I shyly smiled to Yesung, while walking in his direction. He understood that I wanted to go home and immediately slipped his feet into his shoes, standing up by my side.

"I know, I know..." he nodded.

"How much for this private consultation?" I patted on his shoulder and showed him the way out "Is it even higher than your usual lawyer fee?"

"No...I feel kind and understanding today...let's make it work with a round of drinks...of course it's your treat, deal?" he shrugged and smiled, waiting for me while I locked my office door and put the key away in my pocket. I then cast a sideway glance to him, but that was the minimum I could do. Yesung understood that I didn't want to talk about the matter anymore and quickly changed topic. I was so grateful to him for being that considerate...when everyone had left me alone, he was the one who helped me throughout the years. My world slowly turned its light on and made me realize whatever noteworthy thing existed on Earth.

"Wait a minute..." I lightly pressed on Yesung's arm, to stop him for a while in front of my secretary's desk. I turned my back to him and looked for my wallet in the bag. After checking through many different colorful business cards, I picked one in particular and handed it to the girl: "It's an agency I know. There's a quite famous pianist working there at the moment, just ask for Kim Ryeowook. In truth, he might not have any kind of problem to accept our offer, but don't be greedy when discussing about the fee, whatever price is needed just accept it. I personally want him to play at that stupid party, so put all your efforts to bring him there. Understood?" I noticed that in my voice there was a bit too much of intimidation. Did I want Ryeowook at that party so bad? She looked up at me without flickering once. She grabbed the little card and already pressed her fingers on the phone dialer, ready to contact the agency.

Good. At least she knew how to work. I was about to follow Yesung to the lift, when I remembered something that otherwise wouldn't have stopped bothering me. I walked to my secretary's desk again and, while she waited to get through the line, she moved a little bit the phone from her ear, looking at me again, anticipating what I had to say. I bent over the desk and, in a blow, I said: "For whichever reason, don't tell him about the organizers of this party. Don't tell him that it's ours. Just tell him that it's quite urgent and that he's only asked to play his best jazz and blues repertoire, okay?"

I had a reason for not letting Ryeowook know about the party, and I intended to exploit it...

---ooo---

Ryeowook's pov:

"...what does it mean that I need to work?" I was at the phone with my manager, whom, despite staying in Paris to manage my schedule there, suddenly contacted me to tell me that I had just been hired for a performance at a party, which seemed quite a urgent matter to deal with at the moment.

He knew that I accepted to work in Korea just because I owned a favor to Jonghyun's agency's president, whom helped me to adjust to my life in France when he was working there, but my Korean staying didn't mean that I wanted to accept any other work offer! He knew it and supported my decisions, therefore why he changed his mind? Why did he have to push me to appear at a party, whose level wasn't even comparable to my professionalism! The whole situation made me feel so irritated!

"...the pay is high? Is this the only reason?" I slowly repeated my manager's words, quite shocked. "I don't care about money! I want to rest, I need to! You know what's happening with my ear, and that I can't wait to come back to Paris to have it treated!" My manager perfectly knew about my physical condition. That was enough for him to decline the offer, but it seemed that the huge amount of money had already been deposited into my French bank account and therefore I couldn't oppose to it without breeching the contract that had been sent overnight to him and signed by my agents.

"Fine!" I snorted out, puffing cheeks and rolling my eyes. I didn't want to listen to his voice anymore. I needed time to review a genre of music I wasn't that used to play, and the soon I got ready, the better it was for me to willingly accept that situation. I hang up the phone and held back the strong impulse to throw it across the room. I simply put it on the kitchen table and went to open the door.

"Hey, sunshine! What's wrong with your face?"

I walked back to the living room quite angry and threw myself on the L-shaped gray sofa, so I could stretch my legs underneath a red checkered fleece cover.

Zhou Mi, my friend from the Parisian conservatory times, followed me inside, holding a light sky blue box that looked quite heavy. He sat on the sofa and put it on the low table.

"Don't mind about my face...what's that?" I asked, pretty curious about the content inside the box.

My friend shrugged and pushed the box towards my direction: "I was coming here, when the concierge in the hall literally pushed this box into my arms, saying that it had just arrived for you...so, you gotta tell me what's inside!"

"Just open it and check it out for me...at the moment I'm too annoyed on my own to mind..." I shrugged as well and looked elsewhere.

I heard the little thud of the cardboard lid being opened and placed on the table and, some seconds after, Zhou Mi's sounding admiring while eyeing the content in awe. That made me even more curious about it. I rolled on the side and leaned towards Zhou Mi's shoulders so I could peek inside with my eyes.

"You've got a secret admirer or what?" he asked me, unfolding what looked like a quite expensive suite. Whoever sent it didn't forget anything: it was fully accessorized and even the color wasn't that bad. Probably Zhou Mi was right and that was meant to be a gift from an admirer who knew me so well to tell that bronze-orange colored clothes would have suited me. Especially because I had recently dyed my hair of a slightly reddish shade, quite invisible on my dark hair, but very pretty whenever exposed under full enhancing light. I checked through the content: there were shining dark brown trousers, a golden silk shirt, the bronze jacket decorated with an orange collar and golden gems, black boots and even black matching belt and socks.

"There's a mask inside! And...a letter?" Zhou Mi grabbed them both and passed them onto me. The mask was one of those used for huge ballroom dances, it was light blue and fully decorated with glitters. The letter, instead, was a scroll of parchment burnt on the sides, to give it the kind of ancient look, and there were some instructions about a party written on it.

Not a normal party...the party where I had to work at.

I messily put everything again inside the box, pushed it on the table away from me and growled in distress: "I hate whoever asked for my presence at that damn party!" 

Zhou Mi looked at me, not understanding my reaction. I still hadn't told him anything about it, it was time for me to free myself from that burdensome weight.

"Cool!" he commented, after listening to my story. He saw my deadly glance and immediately shut up, thinking about a way to correct himself I guess, because then he added: "Not cool for you to be working overnight, but cool if you have to dress in these clothes!" he pointed at the box.

"I don't like the feeling..." I muttered. The truth was that, upon overhearing Donghae talking about Kyuhyun's party, I wished that someone could invite me there. Even though I would have had to deal with my stomach being turned upside down whenever laying my eyes on Kyuhyun, I really wished to go through all that sort of hell, if I could be granted the chance to glance upon Kyuhyun from afar...once again I was thinking the complete opposite of my resolutions.

And, while speaking of the devil...Zhou Mi held out an arm and entoured my shoulders, so I could lean on his side: "How are you today? As soon as I told you about my arrival in Korea, you said you needed to see me! Is it because of..."

Yeah. He didn't even need to speak his name, because Zhou Mi knew. When I had first arrived in Paris, I had the chance to meet him while attending some of the same classes. Zhou Mi graduated from the music composition faculty and I met him there because I had to recuperate some grades. We got along pretty well, even if not from the very beginning. And when we eventually got much closer, he helped me a lot while trying to overcome my hearing problem and he earned, little by little, my trust. He was the first person I could entrust my life with, after the mess Kyuhyun had created in my life. I still needed someone who could patiently help me mending the torn pieces of my existence. Honestly Zhou Mi was totally different from me: from his look to his tastes...but he was a great friend, and I couldn't have been happier to have him in my life.

Knowing that I were to be in Korea for a couple of months, he had just contacted me from China, where he went to visit his family, before going back to Paris, and we agreed that, if he had reached me over here, we could have gone back home together after finishing my work. I didn't really tell him about meeting Kyuhyun again in person, but he guessed right... Before leaving France the thought of bumping into Kyuhyun never once got in my mind, but somehow Zhou Mi had asked me if I wasn't nervous about it, and therefore I began worrying a lot and torturing my poor brain with too much stressed overnight thinking over the matter.

"...I just had some fever during the past two days, that's nothing you should worry about, Mimi..." I stuttered, trying to sound convincing.

"Fever? Did you catch a cold or..." his hand promptly touched my forehead and I immediately pushed him away, pouting: "Ah! Don't worry I said! It's over now..."

"Why did it happen? How's your ear?" I knew it...Zhou Mi was always too much concerned for my health.

"It's fine!" I shrugged and pulled my cover up to under my chin, as to hide my embarrassment if I were to tell him about how Kyuhyun got inside the house and goofily nursed me just two days before. He looked at me with his big eyes, totally suspecting that I was covering up for something. His pretty shining smile briefly disappeared behind his rosy lips tightened in a line. I bit my lips and took a deep sigh: "Okay...you were right! I met him, damn! I met Kyuhyun!" his eyes widened, but didn't reach the same width that they were supposed to reach after I spilled the rest out: "And not once...he even showed up here!" Zhou Mi was risking a collapse then.

I had to be the one more concerned, but he reaceted in a quite exaggerating way!

"What happened?!" his voice sounded too alarmed. "Nothing!" I justified myself. I couldn't tell him that, as soon as Kyuhyun saw me, he wanted to beat me up, still convinced about his truth.

"Please, please, please!" he stressed his plea words and took my hands in his "Keep away from him! Or I fear you might end up hurt...I don't want that...you're the kindest and purest man I got to know, you...you'd not deserve his pointless hatred, believe me...you'll find someone else! Someone better than him!"

I just nodded then and dived into his friendly hug. I liked whenever Zhou Mi was so thoughtful towards me and offered mehis hug as a shelter. But how could I find the words to tell him that I had already collapsed and maybe I was falling for Kyuhyun again. It was stupid, and useless, and hurtful...I perfectly knew...but...

...too many buts...

He was right: I had to try, and endure while putting all my efforts. I couldn't end up offering myself as a scapegoat for Kyuhyun to relieve his stress, if this one never once truly loved me. It was a one-sided feeling...it had always been that way, I just was too blind to understand it. I had managed to keep it away for ten years, anyway, what were other two months summed up to those long ten years...I had to be brave!

---ooo---

"Sorry! We're late!" Donghae rushed into a shining black car and behind him Eunhyuk followed.

Yesung was nervously tapping his fingers agains the steering wheel, checking the time on the digital clock right above the stereo system. "What did take you so long?!" he snorted out, starting the engine. "We are thirty minutes late and at this hour of a Saturday evening, we will be stuck into traffic! Kyuhyun will never forgive us for this!"

"There was someone who took twenty, and I say twenty, minutes just to draw his eyeline!" Donghae threw at Eunhyuk a sideway glance that almost flashed him, and this one shyly smiled: "Wait, wait...we are always on time every year! We know how this kind of parties work for Kyuhyun! He uses this opportunity for meeting new investors and partners, that's all...there's no real fun behind it!" Eunhyuk explained, as if that might have justified him somehow.

"That's exactly why he needs us by his side!" Yesung looked at him from the rearview mirror and stopped at a red traffic light "Besides, this round is gonna be pretty high-class...I know that he had been suggested with the ballroom concept from an employee who works at his office. It all started as a joke, but Kyuhyun did really like the suggestion and that's why you are now wearing those costumes!" He took a minute to turn behind from his seat and pointed at the outfits the couple was wearing for the evening.

"Did he really provide the costumes for all the guests? How much did he pay?!" Donghae's jaw dropped in disbelief. They had received a box containing their outfits just the day before, and the two were really enthusiastic about the gift Kyuhyun had sent them.

"No, he did it just for close friends and some employees who will attend the party..." Yesung told them, focusing on his drive as soon as the green light popped up.

"Oh...I see...wait! Did he manage to find someone to hire for playing music tonight? I thought he was pretty busy with that..." Donghae asked again, he seemed to be a bit overly curious, but Eunhyuk interrupted him by adding something else: "I even suggested him that he asked Ryeowook to play, but...yeah..." he brought a hand behind his neck and scratched it lightly, a bit too nervous: "...maybe that wasn't the best, right? After what happened..."

Yesung hummed and nodded in reply, maybe a bit too gloomy, but then he said something that took unexpectedly both Donghae and Eunhyuk aback: "Ryeowook will indeed play tonight! Kyuhyun personally asked for him!"

The couple stared pretty long time one into the other's eyes, totally startled: "What happened?!" they both spoke in unison.

"Like...what you said Donghae! It was urgent and Kyuhyun just chose the easiest way not to screw up the party..." Yesung shrugged and turned left at the crossroad he was driving towards.

"No, no, no..." Donghae was now furiously knocking on to Yesung shoulder, as this one parked the car in front of the place where the party had already kicked off its start. The engine was shut off and Eunhyuk, dying of curiousity just as much as Donghae, helped his fiancé by pulling Yesung by the golden cape he was wearing and that was part of his own personal costume "...you will now tell us what's really behind this! First of all why Kyuhyun hates Ryeowook that much and then, what's their true relationship! What does it mean that Ahra was killed?" 

Too many annoying questions were now swirling into Yesung's mind. He threw a fist onto the wheel and grumbled: "You'll keep calm and stop meddling into Kyuhyun's life, if I tell you?"

The two men quickly smiled and put on an angelic look that wasn't convincing and didn't suit them at all. Yesung sighed and began explaining what he knew about Kyuhyun and Ryeowook's true relationship. He told them everything from the beginning, but made sure to underline that his story was told by his own point of view, which was totally external and tried to stay objective to the facts. At the end, he even added what his thoughts about the events were: he had always suggested Kyuhyun to make the first move and try to confront with Ryeowook over the matter, but he had always refused, being the stubborn guy he was. He just firmly believed what he saw, which was Ryeowook dirtied of Ahra's blood and a boiling hot gun besides the two on the crime scene. 

"I didn't know anything about Ryeowook living in Paris though...I think that Kyuhyun didn't know that either..." Yesung added "This is a secret I've always been keeping for Kyuhyun, but I never sympathized with his choices, not even once...now try to put yourself into Ryeowook's shoes! Kyuhyun made it really huge...if I had had a boyfriend like him, and I had seen him breaking up with me for no true concrete reason in that brusque way, I'd have kept on living in hell, honestly...Kyuhyun basically denied his feelings for him quicker than the blink of an eye! It must be pretty harsh to cope with..."

"Love is tough..." Eunhyuk sighed then, looking quite sad upon hearing the heartbreaking story that linked Kyuhyun and Ryeowook.

"Is there something we can do for..." Donghae tried to say, but  Yesung was faster and gave him a light slap behind the neck, literally jumping on his seat while turning behind: "Do not even dare to think of making something for them! It's none of our business! And knowing Kyuhyun...he'll simply include us in his blacklist as well!" And by saying that, Yesung made it clear that the topic shouldn't have emerged from their mouths anymore, unless they wanted to stir up Kyuhyun's fury. He got off and wore his golden mask to hide his identity: "Oh...one last thing...Ryeowook doesn't know whose party this is..." he said to the two friends, who were wearing their masks as well, before walking together towards the main entrance.

---ooo---

Ryeowook's pov:

People said that was one of Seoul's best place to hold parties. I would have really liked to meet whoever said that and shake hands with that person...nothing said was more wrong than that! I didn't like it...perhaps I was thinking too subjectively because I didn't like the idea of playing there with so little notice, but still...

I had arrived two hours before everyone else and I did well to do so, because, while waiters and other staff members of the place were finishing their work to set the place according to the chosen concept, I spotted two shy young boys on the lifted patio that would have been my stage for that night.

They were talking about scores and how to arrange pieces for the party, and I realized that I had been given some background, even if a bit too weak. They were students who worked part-time at the place to earn some more money. How irritating! Especially because I discovered that, to give me some break after finishing my 2-hour-long performance, a dj from the underground scene would have showed up and turned the party to a true disco... If you were to ask me, I'd say that I was totally against it, but I was nobody to express my opinion...so I silently walked across the dancefloor and towards the boys, to introduce myself and direct them for those arrangements they were talking about.

After deciding all together on how to bring new life to some old forgotten pieces of the genre, I took my time to change in a waiting room. I wore that costume I had received the day before and proceeded with my make up and hairstyle. The make up was my usual one: after putting on my face different lotions and covering moisturizing creams, I drew my eyeline with a light smoky black pencil, nothing complicated. But I was like that: I liked simple but efficient things, therefore I could pass onto spraying some natural white musk perfume essence, that I received as a gift from Zhou Mi, and looked at my reflection in the mirror quite satisfied with the result. The new shades of red in my hair, whose fringe I had lifted from my forehead and styled with hairspray, really matched well with the orange and bronze colors of my costume. I confidently smiled at myself before walking out to the party hall.

This had been decorated with cascades of small round blue lights all around the walls and wide windows. The lined up tables were set with the finest cloths and the buffet was about to be placed on them. On the left baristas were thouroughly checking beverages supplies and got pretty much ready to show their acrobatic skills when mixing cocktails. Lights were turned off and those on the decorations were instead switched on, including the huge crystal candelabrum hanging from the ceiling. Okay, it wasn't the best location, but the effect created by lights was pretty good. I went to the stairs and walked down to the hall, where I checked my working hours with the staff manager. Thereafter I saw people reaching their places and after a second welcoming guests in. I rolled my eyes and knew then that I had to reach my position as well. I walked to the stairs and casually grabbed the flower-decorated black iron handrail while walking up. I got on the wooden patio stage and sat on my stool to rehearse some notes before opening the show.

After a while, when pretty much everyone had gathered there, I felt strangely uneasy even though I was doing what I loved the best: playing the piano. However, all those eyes fixed on me as if I were who knows which kind of amazing wonder...I have never felt this way not even when I had the chance to perform at the Opera theater, in Paris, in front of a huge crowd of public. 

I couldn't help but let out an umperceptible sigh while pressing the piano keys and looking down at them, listening to the arrangement that I had suggested to the young guys, who willingly accompanied me down that unfortunate adventure. Nevertheless I didn't like the atmosphere. A world renowned pianist like me sold to that low-class party...I didn't care if the concept was the ballroom one and guests were all wearing expensive costumes and decorated masks! It all felt too cheap to meet my standards and the worst was that, guests knew about my presence and my identity, therefore my mask was totally useless since they kept on glancing me from down the hall. They knew that I was playing for them and I heard some comments in the distance, from people completely amazed that whoever organized the party managed to have me out of all musicians...

...they were praising him or her for bringing me there, but they actually didn't care a thing about what I was playing...how ungrateful of them! While sitting on the stool and silently playing, I mentally made a list of things to do soon after finishing my two-hour-long performance. One of them included looking for the organizer and insult that person from the very bottom of my heart! Okay...I am not the type to do that, I gotta admit it, but still...I would have really liked to do it once in my lifetime...I wasn't a product to be sold to the best offerer.

I took a little break after finishing that piece and checked the following scores with the guys.

When I turned my back again to the other side and tried to resume playing, I shivered, apparently for no particular reason. It seemed that the three newcomers who stood by the entrance had their eyes fixed on me. Did they know me by chance, for showing all that interest and not budging at all from the entrance? Were they professional spies? The fact was now getting out of hand, as I glanced down and discovered another standing presence that scared me with his piercing gaze fixed on me.

Everyone looked up at me from time to time, so I shouldn't have been bothered by the fact, but he showed too much of his interest, according to me. Had he never watched a pianist playing live, that he had to keep staring me like a hunter would do with his prey?

He stood right beside the bar and was accompanied by a girl, who wore a glitter silver mini dress, had her hair tied in a high bun and some locks softly fell at the side of her head to her bare shoulders. The man didn't even pay attention to the fact that she was handing him a glass of white Martini, because he was too busy locking his eyecontact with...me...

I blushed and immediately adverted his stare, trying not to convey my upset mood to the music I was playing, yet...still feeling his eyes all over me.

I gathered some courage and looked back at the mysterious man: he might have been my same age, he was quite tall and the costume he was wearing well enhanced his slim figure. It was composed of a silver colored shirt, black trousers and boots, his shoulders were wrapped in a dark blue jacket that had a sort of cape on the back. It was decorated with a golden collar and threads of the same color. His face was partially covered by the orange mask he wore and that was visible under the fringe of his light brown hair. His lips...his lips reminded me of...

...that wild unexpected thought startled me and I almost got the wrong key as I gulped in fear for having almost screwed up the whole piece, but also, and even worse, for actually imagining that behind that orange mask could have been Kyuhyun.

My imagination was running wilder than ever as I perfectly knew that Kyuhyun then was somewhere else. The knot in my throat got tighter and prevented me to swallow properly, in the meanwhile I was thinking on how I'd have reacted if that mysterious man were to be Kyuhyun. Well, first of all, I had to admit that the costume might have suited Kyuhyun better, since it would have enhanced his every feature, then...my mind went blank while I tried to pose me the question: "How would you really react if there was him?".

I sighed and concluded the piece with some basic scales. My heart was already jumping at the thought, but the true answer was: "I don't know...". Yes, I didn't know what I would have exactly done in that case...but it took me really little to go back to my, more or less, calmer self, since I was aware that I was alone there, among a sea of strangers. There was nothing to worry about, and I was looking forward to the time Zhou Mi would have picked me up, so I could put aside that hell of tangled and complicated thoughts that were affecting my mood.

"It's over, hyung!" one of the two boys quickly walked behind me and bent just the needed to whisper something in my ear. His warm breath on my neck all of a sudden woke me up from my imagination and I nodded. Lifting my sleeve on the wrist, I checked the time on my watch: midnight. It wasn't that late, but luckily for me my "shift" ended there. When my name was mentioned at the microphone, I stood up and bowed to the guests, who gave me a round of applause, a rather uninterested one as far as I perceived it. I faked a smile before walking away with the only intent of disappearing from that strange place as soon as possible. Moreover, during the break, the instruments for the upcoming dj had been installed on stage and that was another ulterior reason for me to escape, as I was scared that my ear couldn't have possibly endured the loud music.

Still too much upset for playing in a place full of ignorant people, who could understand less than nothing about my music, my only lover, I walked down the corridor to grab my personal things, sighing from time to time, totally plunged into my stream of thoughts, that I didn't even notice that I had just bumped into a person. I quickly lifted my head and looked on both sides, sure that the corridor was deserted, when I realized that the same man by the bar, who was continuously looking at me while I performed, was now standing in front of me. I felt safe, even if pretty disquiet, back then, because I was sitting in front of the piano, far away from him, far away from his penetrating glance that made me shiver. But then, as I was standing before him, I sensed a sort of tension I had never felt before, therefore, wanting to quietly slip away from there even faster than before, I fumbled a sort of excuse and bowed slightly my head again, trying to surpass him.

I had walked a few steps away in that man's opposite direction and I was about to take my phone from the pocket and dial Zhou Mi's number, when I felt my wrist being entoured by some warm fingers' strong grip. It hurt me. My eyes, wide from shock, already went to examine the standing figure, who happened to be half-smiling behind a straight index finger, which he used to tell me to keep silent.

And that worked pretty well, because I didn't have the time to react and ask him the reason why he was strongly pulling me towards the end of the corridor and finally pushed me inside a closet, locking the door.

"So-sorry...there might be a sort of mis-" I wanted to speak, but I immediately felt his warm left hand completely covering my mouth, while the right one had a strong grip on my own left wrist. He pushed me with violence against the wall of the small squared room and smirked.

"This is...this is harrassment or..." I immediately thought, feeling my cheeks reaching an unconceivable high temperature that eventually spread all over my face. I wanted to breath, but his hand on my mouth, and the mask I was wearing, prevented me from doing so. Moreover I was now starting to get quite anxious and my heart never failed at making me notice how fast it pounded. With my free hand I tried to push him away, repetitively hitting his chest, but he didn't move. Instead he got closer and closer, so close that my free hand was now trapped between our bodies.

Why, in the world, things never went along my plans? I wanted to be home! I desperately wanted to be home, maybe enjoying a movie with my best friend and eventually falling asleep together on the sofa...because that's what happened every time.

Instead I had to silently bear that violence from a complete stranger. I wanted to cry so bad, and shout for help and maybe even bite that hand that shut my mouth with an incredible strength, depriving me of any breath. Some tears were already rolling down my eyes and they reached his hand while running along my cheeks. My already dry and hoarse throat was getting worse and tighter and, even if he had lifted his hand, I wouldn't have been so sure about my shouting skills at that moment. As soon as he really lifted his hand, freeing me, I tried to take in a deep breath and pronounce even the simplest word, but...

...he kissed me...

...he unexpectedly kissed me and shut my mouth again! What the hell was happening?! I was there, totally frozen by those sudden bold moves and with wide eyes fixed on his, by then, too much close face, while his overpowering lips strongly pressed against mine. His hands were grabbing both my wrists, in the while, and pushed them up against the wall, leaving me totally undefended.

Even though my mind was shouting alerts about bewaring of strangers and organizing escape plans I probably had better to listen to, my heart seemed to calm down, letting me the time to adjust to the situation and to even try to enjoy the kiss. Unbelievable! While being scared by that stranger, however, I really wanted to enjoy that kiss, because it felt uncredibly...familiar...

I slowly closed my eyes and gave permission to my mind to wildly imagine absurd and abstract things...those same thoughts I was trying so hard to preclude from surfacing in my head...

...and I responded to the kiss, pressing my lips as well to cooperate with the stranger.

"Why can't it be Kyuhyun? It'd be a dream...a nice one..." I thought over and over again, materializing my dreams until I made fun of my own self for lingering on that desperate moment. I kissed that stranger back, aware that he was someone I didn't know, but at the same time tormentedly hoping that, when I had opened my eyes again, I would have found Kyuhyun, ready to hug me and reassuringly my hair.

His lips were now moving even faster, they were now biting mine and slightly parting to my lower lip. The stranger had drunk more than one cocktail and with that kiss he was now sharing the taste of alcohol with me. Despite that bitter taste I didn't flicker anymore, I let him slide inside my mouth with his tongue and welcomed him there, as this one was now disquietly looking for my tongue to start a fight. That tickled me. The sensation of having him inside my mouth and my wet walls until every inch of my mouth had been reached and covered by his tongue was insanely good...and I unawarely let out a soft suppressed moan. I did it more than once, as I tilted my head to let him full pass, but the stranger, then, parted from me and let my hands go. I found myself slowly putting both my arms down by my sides and I looked at him, trying to understand why he had stopped, but more than anything else, why he had begun in the first stance.

He lifted both his hands and his fingers were now fiddling with the strings of my mask, which he took off from my face, unveiling my identity. I felt then. One thing was sharing a kiss with a stranger, aware that he proably didn't know who I was and that he did it under alcohol effect, another thing was that he could now look straight into my eyes without any problem. His fingers were cupping my cheeks then and softly the skin from my cheekbones to my jawline. I imagined that he was taking his time to get to know me. I wanted to do the same. I lifted my hands and tried to take his orange mask off him, to take a look at his hidden features. But he blocked me and yet again my wrists were both under his control. Why? Why couldn't I peek behind that mask? I whined then, trying to wriggle from his grip. He tenaciously pulled my arms behind his neck and I felt his own arms closing around my waist, while his face dived in the collar of my shirt, biting my neck and it from the base up to behind my right ear. I shivered in that stranger's arms as he pushed his chest against mine and blocked me on the wall. That was my weakest point and I didn't want to expose it to him, so I just turned my head and grimaced in discomfort, frowning a little bit.

He grinned then and my neck skin with quite a rush, until he left there a couple of round red marks: one slightly above my collarbone and the other on the left side of my neck. He was heavily breathing by then. I heard him lightly sniggering in my other ear and then he let me go, after he had completed the tracing of my jawline with his lips and finally pecked on mine for a last time.

He let me go and walked outside, not saying anything to me, nor showing me his face.

I stood in the middle of the corridor then and watched his back while the man walked away from our crime scene.

My heart was about to explode and my mind went blank. I couldn't think of anything else beside that wild breathtaking kiss. 

Nevertheless my mind had nothing to worry about though, I was Kim Ryeowook and problems were on my daily agenda... As I slowly walked back to gather my things and reached the main entrance to walk outside, still quite dazzled and confused, I recognized that man standing not so far away from the spot I was standing at.

He was happily laughing with an older, shorter and plumpier man, who had just finished telling him his last joke. I glanced outside the glass door and noticed Zhou Mi standing beside his car, briefly rested against it with crossed arms. I retained from running towards him, too curious to take a glance upon the mysteryous man, who had just taken off his mask and resumed talking with the other man.

"K-Kyu...Kyuhyun?!" I weakly stuttered, letting go of my bag, which fell on the ground. I couldn't believe my eyes. I knew I probably looked like an idiot, for standing in the way, frozen and glued to the ground, with my mouth opened in shock for that devastating discovery. I couldn't take my eyes off him and he even shortly excused himself, while he walked towards me and knelt to grab my bag and hand it to me. His victorious evil grin was the last thing I saw before desperately rushing out, looking for Zhou Mi as my only cure to mend my, yet again, torn heart...

I had dreamed of wanting Kyuhyun...and after having his kiss, I desperately wanted to travel back to that instant and push him away from me...

"For being that shamelessly heartless, I hate you Cho Kyuhyun!" my bleary mind wanted to scream. And I ran to Zhou Mi, I ran to my best friend's embrace, convinced that those arms couldn't have been warmer than Kyuhyun's, but they were surely safer than his...

I ran to him...fully certain that I still had Kyuhyun's eyes all over me, especially right when I successfully found Zhou Mi's welcoming and worried embrace...where I could let myself go to other bitter tears...

Two months. Just two stupid months and I can go back to my normal self...two stupid months and I'll be forced to bid you farewell...forever...