Sungmin heaved a long suffering sigh before plopping his head on the table before him, his arms eagle spread on the currently empty table, as he muttered an audible whine of, “My Mom is gonna kill me.”

“Quit being dramatic and tell us what’s the matter,” Changmin jabbed, poking at Sungmin’s rib to jolt him up from the table as a waiter came laded with their ordered food. Sungmin gave dejected pout as he leaned away from the table… his eyes falling upon Kyuhyun, who sat with his eyes fixed on something beyond the glass window of the restaurant… clearly spacing out and not listening to a single whined out word Sungmin had just uttered.

A couple of days had went by, since Kyuhyun’s forced engagement party… being the sympathetic friends they- that is, Sungmin, Changmin, Suho and Minho- were they had respected Kyuhyun’s personal space and not talked about that horrible incident. But even if two days has gone by, Kyuhyun was as mute and detached from the party as after that horrible news had left Mr. Lee’s lips… and that had started to get on his friends' nerves now.

Sungmin had returned to his hotel room, that night, feeling exceptionally down and miserable… the giddy and excited feelings he had held before the start of the party were long gone… he had definitely not seen that outcome coming their way. And Kyuhyun suddenly being mute- he being there physically but not mentally- had started to worry Sungmin. He was sure something must have happened at Cho residence after they had return home… even if there were no visible marks on Kyuhyun’s body, thankfully, that would have suggested any violent behavior of Mr. Cho but Sungmin’s sixth sense was nagging at him… telling him something must have went down there.

But now Sungmin had had enough of Kyuhyun’s silence… thus he opted to share some of his own worries, in order to distract Kyuhyun and rest of his friends.

“My parents are coming to Korea next week,” Sungmin mumbled with a groan attached with a small jut if his lips as he looked around at his friends.

“So?” Suho inquired, looking somewhat confuse. “Isn’t it a great thing that your parents are coming here? They must have wanted to reminisce their youthful days when they met, right?”

“Yes that, along with the fact that I broke up with Jessica… my Mom’s most favorite girl in the whole world… so now Mom wants to meet the girl that made me broke my engagement a.k.a Kim Saeun a.k.a the girl I have no idea where she lives, heck I don’t know anything about her except her name!!” Sungmin exclaimed loudly, throwing his hands up in defeat, earning a few stares from other occupants of the restaurant, before his eyes narrowed at Suho, “Since someone is being a useless friend and not getting me the information I wanted.”

Suho laughed whole heartedly, with Changmin and Minho joining along him… even Kyuhyun cracked a small smile… now Sungmin felt insulted and belittled. He crossed his arms across his chest, with a deep pout around his pink lips as he leaned back in his chair… giving a judging look to his friends, especially Kyuhyun… even if internally he was relieved to see a hint of smile on his plush lips.

“Yes, yes go ahead and laugh at my expanse… and I am sure you would be rolling on floor with laughter once my mother had me bald by plucking out my hairs when she learns I broke my engagement for a girl I don’t even know about,” Sungmin tried to sketch the worst case scenario hoping to gain some sympathy but he should have known better.

“She would seriously make you bald?” Minho chipped in, an excited shine in his eyes. “That would be one sight I wouldn’t wanna miss.”

“Jerk,” Sungmin hissed as he threw his teaspoon in Minho’s direction, and leaned back in his chair with great satisfaction when his small weapon made contact with Minho’s forehead, making the latter to cry out in pain. “Be good friends and help me out here… I don’t wanna lose my precious hairs.”

“Hmm,” Suho started, reaching inside his pocket to retrieve a bunch of fancy looking rectangular cards. “Sorry Sungmin I can’t help you in that respect but…” Suho held one of cards out for Sungmin to take and he noticed his name elegantly scribbled on the said piece of hard paper. “It’s Xiumin’s birthday on coming Friday and Heechul Hyung is throwing a birthday bash for him… the little devil asked me to specially invite you and tell you that under no circumstance are you allowed to not to attend his birthday party.”

Sungmin’s face broke into a radiant smile as his hand reached out to accept the card, “Xiumin’s birthday? Oh I would never dream of missing out on it.”

“The party is in three days,” Changmin necessitated frowning at his own card, that Suho ed in his hands. “Why are you giving the invitation so later?”

“Be glad I am able to give them at all,” Suho shook his head a little dejectedly, making his friends to frown in bafflement and bombard him with persistent questions of ‘Why?’. “What do you expect? Of course Dad was against Xiumin’s birthday party… Hyung had been having constant fights with dad… and moreover, the coming meeting with the CEO and COO of American Company is looming above our heads, which just added to the pressure Dad already had on Heechul Hyung… needless to say, Hyung finally snapped… told dad he won’t go ahead with the meeting unless Dad allows him to hold Xiumin’s birthday in our house… so dad agreed, quite reluctantly I must add.”

“Woah… I still can’t see how my father and your father were best friends,” Changmin said, piling his plate with food. “My dad was the sweetest soul to walk on the surface of the earth.”

“True,” Suho agreed readily, with Minho and Kyuhyun nodding in agreement as well. “My dad wasn’t so bad either … I think mom’s death took a great toll on him and when your father passed away… dad just… he just became too distant and cold, to be honest.”

An ominous silence fell upon the group, each falling in their own thoughts and with a disappointed jolt Sungmin realized his problem had been pushed back with the introduction of new topic.

“Anyways, so what are we gonna get Xiumin?” Minho asked thoughtfully, picking on a spot on his chin. "He is turning what… seventeen?? What do seventeen year old boys like? ?”

Suho choked on the mere air he was breathing before he wheezed out, “No, it’s something you like.”

“Touché,” Minho winked, cheekily.

“I for one am not gonna get that little tick anything… until he stops calling me an ‘Uncle’,” Changmin huffed childishly, making his friends to snigger.

“I am gonna get him a smart phone, he is in a great need for one.” Sungmin announced decidedly.

“Sorry but I already bought one for him,” Suho chipped in, giving a cheeky smile. “You have to think of something else.”

“How about a laptop?” Minho suggested. “PlayStation can work too, right?”

Just then a loud ring tone filled the silence between their talk, making everyone’s head to snap toward Kyuhyun, who had fished out his ringing mobile phone from his pocket and gave a small scoff before cancelling the call. Suddenly he was out of his seat, reaching for his suit jacket that was perched on his chair’s back.

“I am sorry guys but I have to go now… Dad is being a pain because of the coming meeting,” Kyuhyun mumbled in haste, fastening his jacket on his lean body.

“But you didn’t even eat anything,” Sungmin pointed out, worry evident on his face.

“It’s okay… I am not even feeling hungry,” Kyuhyun waved away his friends worry with a single flicker of his hand. “And I might not be able to come for our lunch get together for the rest of the week… please do understand guys.”

Where other boys nodded in sympathy and understanding there Sungmin was seen pouting deeply… again. “Kyuhyun!” The boy whined. “You are leaving without solving my dilemma… what sort of friend are you? Help me out!”

Kyuhyun gave a small smile which, Sungmin noticed, didn’t reached his eyes as he clasped a hand on Sungmin’s shoulder before muttering, “Just come to Xiumin’s party and I assure you all of your problems would be solved.”

“Huh?” Sungmin had only been able to let out before Kyuhyun was seen loudly biding good bye to his group of friends and hurrying away from them. “What was he talking about?”

Suho, Minho and Changmin exchange a small amusement filled look before giving a nonchalant shrug to Sungmin… making the latter to narrow his eyes on them but soon Sungmin had waved away this whole ordeal as nothing since he had more pressing matters to attend to. His eyes had followed Kyuhyun’s retreating figure until he couldn’t see him anymore… suddenly an idea popping in his head… a rather dangerous idea…

“Say Minho, can you bring me with you… I wanna meet your brother,” Sungmin said, tilting his head slightly… his eyes dancing with devilish glint.

“Hmm… yeah sure… but why?” Minho just had to ask.

“I borrowed a book from him… I believe it’s time I return it back,” Sungmin said, sotto voce, getting out the book he had stored in his backpack… he had thought to give it to Minho and ask him to return it back but now Sungmin assumed it would be better if he return it in person.

*=*=*=*=*=*

Mr. Byun’s eyes roamed over the prim and proper attire of his son, a sense of joy and pride descending u