They never brought up the kiss again and to Kyuhyun's relief, their friendship stayed intact. He was worried, for a moment, after they left the studio that afternoon that somehow he was crossing something he shouldn't have. What was he thinking, kissing his own best friend, his roommate, whom he lived under the same roof with and had to meet every day with. Not to mention that said best friend and roommate HAD A BOYFRIEND. He kept reminding himself that.

But she had acted as usual, like it had never happened. Too casual even, that it had bugged him for reasons he didn't know. Or didn't want to know.

She never said anything more about Yesung though, and he wondered if his 'teachings' had finally worked. If now she had all the good kisses she longed for with her boyfriend, thanks to him. It surprised him, the sudden pang of jealousy, because he had never felt jealous of Yesung before.

And then he started to notice things. Little things. Like the shiver in his stomach when his fingers brushed hers. D Minor, Kyu, not B Minor, she was saying, correcting his fingers position on the guitar. It made him wanting to make deliberate mistake just for another of that short moment. Or like when she stood or sat too close. When she peered over his shoulder to watch him playing Starcraft, their cheeks side by side, almost touching. When they were watching DVD and she had fallen asleep, her head resting on his shoulder. And every time they almost bumped into each other, either by sheer lack of direction when one had just woken up, or the mere geography of the small space they lived in.

It also had just occurred to him how much she actually cared for him. One morning when he wasn't feeling well, she had come into his room to check on him and put her hand over his forehead to see if he was having a fever. She had made him chicken soup, feeding him spoonfuls and giving him a lecture because he had been up late too much playing Starcraft and not taking care of his health. As he was lying there in delirium from the flu medicine, he found himself wondering if the new feelings he was experiencing, that had felt both wonderful and wrong at the same time, was part of the drug effects, or if he had, indeed, fallen for her.

He couldn't have, could he?

His feelings couldn't have existed. Because of the so many logical, good reasons. You don't fall for your best friend, you'll ruin your friendship forever. That's ancient rule. You don't fall for your roommate because at the end one of you would have to move out, most probably him, and he didn't want to. You also don't fall for someone's girlfriend. You just don't.

He had been reminded of that fact when one night Yesung had carried her home. She had fallen asleep in the car, he said. Kyuhyun opened the door for him and he put her to her bed. She had been wearing his jacket. Yesung said they went for a short walk and she was cold. Before he went he handed Kyuhyun a small pink stuffed bunny. Yesung had said, he had bought it for her, but he hadn't got a chance to give it because she already fell asleep. He asked Kyuhyun to give it to her when she woke up.

When he was gone, Kyuhyun pulled the blanket over her and just sat there on the edge of the bed, absentmindedly playing the bunny in his hands. It would've been easier if the guy she was with was a complete jerk. Someone who hurt her. But this... he couldn't win against the bunny. It would be wrong to even try.

I love you so much it doesn't even make sense. He watched as her breathing moved steadily up and down. But I'm not gonna vouch myself against your happiness... I'll deal with this. He put the bunny on the pillow next to her. Somehow, I'll find a way.

The band competition grew closer and Kyuhyun buried himself in his music. To his band members' surprise, he had managed to write more songs in a week than he had in the last few months, and it had overwhelmed them because, well frankly they only needed three songs for the competition. But it had come out, automatically. Pouring out of him in strings of lyrics, when he had tried his hardest to seal it in his chest and out of his mind. He couldn't exactly write about his feelings for her because, well for the obvious reason. Besides, they weren't a pop band. So what bursting out of him, was the pure, raw emotions. His songs had turned abstract, not the obvious topics about criticism against society or how the world is deteriorating and whatnot, like their previous songs had been about. Only the feeling of despair, the hope, the longing. He was hoping one would just relate that to rage and hope against current modern world. Or something.

Apparently his band members had noticed the change, even though he was only showing them the best few that he thought had a chance on winning the competition, leaving the rest, more raw, more honest ones in his notebook. Donghae had approached him one day. "These new lyrics you wrote... They're unbelievably personal."

"Our music is always personal." He replied indifferently.

"Are you in love with someone?"

Kyuhyun had choked on his drink and threw the older man an alarmed look. Donghae just nudged his head at a certain figure on the other side of the room, who was laughing and eating kimbab with the rest of the band. "It's her, isn't it?"

Kyuhyun hesitated.

"Hey, I'm not blind. I can put two and two together. The lyrics might be abstract, but I know what it's like to be in love. You're not writing about some kind of political message. It's not written for a 'you' in the sense of the global world. It's a 'you' in the sense of a particular someone."

"Is it that obvious, hyung?"

The expression on Kyuhyun's face made the older man laugh. "Some lines gave you away. I guess it's hard to contain something that is so big, that has consumed everything that you are, isn't it? The way you've been avoiding her has been kinda obvious though." Donghae smiled sympathetically. "Are you gonna do something about it?"

Kyuhyun hesitated then slowly shook his head. A kind of understanding flickered on Donghae's eyes. "Is she still with... that guy, Yesung?" Kyuhyun slowly nodded. "Ah. So that's what it's like." Donghae glanced at the other side of the room and back to his dongsaeng again.

"You can keep a secret, please, hyung?" The younger man's eyes staring at him, pleading. Donghae drunk up his water, "I can... But you better be careful with how you're storing those lyrics." Then he pointed his thumb at one of their band mate, "Especially watch out for Lip-teuk hyung."

Kyuhyun had been careful. Even then, she had picked up a piece when he was taking a bath. He didn't expect her to come home early, he had left the music sheets and his notebook on the table thinking he'd have until the evening for himself, and had gotten a shock to find the music sheet in her hands. His heart raced, wondering if she had as much as glimpsed at his notebook, which was opened next to his guitar. He didn't think so, because when Sungmin saw him she was beaming her usual smile and greeting him her usual 'hi'. And instead, she was commenting how different it had sounded, the piece she was reading, to his previous songs. She said it had seemed more... personal. Poetic. And a lot more vague...

"Since when you've gotten so emo?" She chuckled.

He snatched the paper off her hands. "I don't like people going over my stuff." Her smile faded, "I just... What's wrong, Kyu? You always showed me song drafts before." He just gathered his papers, notebook and guitar and went into his room without saying anything. She was left standing in confusion. What has gotten into her best friend?

He had spend more time in his bedroom, practicing and writing and rewriting his songs. Before all of this happened, he used to practice on the sofa in front of the TV, and his brilliant voice would just fill the whole room. Sungmin had missed it terribly. She had missed her best friend. When he wasn't in his room, or attending his classes, he would be in the studio. She had barely see him that week. He always got up early and came home after she had gone to sleep. She thought it was because the competition was drawing really close, but on the usual occasions where she would come by after her class to the studio to bring him and the members some food and snacks (because she also knew the guys well and it was her way of supporting the band), everyone was so excited and thankful. But Kyuhyun's share had always ended up untouched.

"Let him be, he's really stressed out about the competition. We're all nervous, but you know Kyuhyun, if we don't tell him to go home and rest he'd practice until he passes out." Donghae had smiled and reassured her.