Hello there! I am finally back! ,_, O my, it feels as if it has been ages :'( I hope you still like to read this story :( I wanted to update earlier, but since I have started my Christmas fanfic, I just could not find the time to update this one.. :( However, I am finally back! :D
Sorry for making you all curious about who Taemin and Jinyoung exactly are, but the ones who also read my other stories should know that I love to drag and drag until the end.. X) Also, I think I need some more chapters (maybe up to chapter 10??) to describe Chunhei's 'training days' before putting her in Kyuhyun's life, and that is of course when the real story begins :D.
This chapter is quite... I myself found it hard to write it after such a long time, and it felt weird to write about the same day... However, I think this chapter may be giving you a bit more understanding about... All the three of them?? Read out and it find it out yourself!! :D Also, I am back with a loooooong chapter! :D Or at least, I think it is long xd
Tinywings

“Cho Chunhei.”

I looked up while taking deep breathes. I had just endured another three hours of practice, and I was not sure if I would be able to take any more.  

“T-Taemin-sshi…”

I said as I slowly wiped off some sweat from my forehead, and I could feel my body ache as I did so. There was this thought slowly creeping into my conscious, telling me that maybe taking the easy way would be much easier, much better. I looked impossible, after all. But I did not want to give up…Yet.

“Here,”He said while handing me a bottle of water, “drink it.”

I gave him a grateful smile as I took the bottle.

“Thank you.”

He sat next to me against the wall, and we both said nothing more. I was desperately trying to open the bottle, but it seemed all strength in my hands had vanished. I was about to give up, when Taemin took the bottle from my hand.

“Really, a pianist with no strength in her hands?”

My whole body stiffened as I heard a chuckle coming out of his mouth. It was not frightening, not at all; it was wonderfully pleasant. For the first time since I knew him, Taemin showed an expression other than frowning, other than struggling.

“Here.”

He said while handing me the open bottle, and I gratefully accepted it again. Slowly, silence consumed us, but I did not mind it. After all, it seemed like silence was the best I could get nowadays. One thing I was sure of, or at least I think I was sure of, and that is that Taemin is not a bad guy. He impossibly could be, and I wanted to believe in that. I wanted to believe that at least he could be trusted.

“Did Jinyoung hyung said something to do just now?”

Taemin asked without looking at me. My heart tightened slightly as I thought about the other boy. I did not like his presence, not at all.

“A-ah no…He did not say anything.”

“I see…”

Taemin said with a small sigh.

“He…”I hesitantly said. “He seems quite scary.”

Taemin laughed slightly, all to my surprise.

“He would be more than happy to hear that.”

It was really surprising to hear Taemin speak about the other boy in such a manner, when it felt like the two do not like each other. But I was not in the position to say that, when I knew absolutely nothing about them.

“Jinyoung hyung…Wants you to show him you can do this.”

My eyes flickered in surprise. Did Taemin just say…That the other boy…Wanted me to succeed in this training? How could that possibly be?

“H-how could that be, when-”

“He has his own reasons,”Taemin looked me straight in the eyes as he continued, “and so do I.”

Taemin…The other boy, Jinyoung…It felt like they are both chaining themselves…Making their life so incredibly hard and painful, or maybe…They did not even have a choice. Or maybe they were just like me… Choosing a path that is too hard for me.

“And you, Taemin-sshi,”I asked, “do you want me to succeed?”

An amused grin appeared on his lips as he looked at me.

“It is not about what I want, Cho Chunhei, it is about what you want.”

I shook my head slightly.

“N-no…You…You are a nice person, right, Taemin-sshi? You want to help me, right?”

Taemin’s expression instantly fell as he heard my words. I immediately regretted what I said, but even so, I did not know what I could have possibly said wrong. For as far as I know, I had only complimented him.

“Cho Chunhei, just because I help you, does not mean I am a good person. This is precise the reason why I did not approve of you. Girls like you believe that there is justice in this world, that there will always be a good guy around to help her, but let me tell you one thing, Cho Chunhei,”Taemin said while giving me a stern look, “you better not trust anyone, or else it is game over. There is no such thing as trust in the world you are going to be, remember that.”

Taemin did not say anything more, and stood up.

“Anna is not going to come back for today, so you can practice on your own.”

He said coldly before walking out of the room. I silently stared at the water bottle he had given me, as I let his words sink in.

-

I sighed as I walked out of the building. It was already 10 PM, and I had yet to find a way to go home. I could feel myself getting slightly anxious as I realized I had absolutely no clue where I was right now, and my sore body did not help at all at the moment. It felt as if I would faint from exhaustion any moment.

“Where are you going?”

I turned around, and I could feel my heart beat faster as I saw the dark-haired boy in front of me.

“I…I am going home…”

He sighed before walking up to me.

“Where is Taemin?”

“He…He left.”

He shook his head before looking at me.

“Let’s go.”

He said before beginning to walk away. I was hesitant about following him at first, but since he was my only option, I had no other choice than to follow him. He walked quite fast though, so it was hard to follow him.

“W-wait…”

I said as I tried to catch up with him, but he did not stop or look around. I bit my lip as I forced my body to run after him, since the gap between us was getting larger and larger. However, a few seconds of running was enough for me to get dizzy and weak, and I quickly stopped. I felt so exhausted and weak right now, that I could not even find the strength to walk further. I slowly walked to the side and leaned against the wall, trying to calm myself down. Luckily the dizziness was slowly fading away, but I was sure I could not possibly walk anymore. I could feel some tears forming at the corners of my eyes as I felt this sudden wave of hopelessness. I felt so tired, and there was no one who wanted to help me.

“Ya, why are you crying?”

My eyes fluttered open as I heard his voice. Even though I could not see his face clearly because of the tears, I knew clearly who it was.

“I…”

Jinyoung sighed before grabbing my arm.

“Really… Stop crying.”

He said before pulling me with him. We slowly walked through the streets, and I was surprised when I realized we had walked inside a café.

“What do you want to eat?”

I shook my head slightly. I felt uncomfortable with him around, and I could not possibly let my guard down around him.

“I am not hungry.”

Jinyoung clicked his tongue before going to the counter. I watched how he ordered some food and walked passed me with his tray of food.

“Are you going to stand there forever?”

I turned around to see him sitting nonchalantly, staring at the food in front of him. I hesitated for a second before sitting on the opposite seat. The way he looked at me, it made me feel uneasy.

“Eat.”

“N-no.”

He let out a frustrated groan before eating the food on his own. Even though I was so incredibly hungry and knew that if I did not eat, I would surely faint, I just could not. Not when I did not know what to expect from him.

“I am not going to ask you to eat twice,” He said while eyeing me, “because honestly, I could not care less. However, if you cannot continue the training tomorrow, then we will just have to do it the easy way.”
 

His words hit me hard, and I could hear something inside of me screaming, telling me to stop being so stubborn and eat. It was not about him or anything anymore, but all about myself; I should not forget that. A grin appeared on his lips as he saw me reaching for the food.

“Giving in?”

I was so tempted to stop my hand, but my body did not want to. It had been lacking energy for way too long to listen to what my mind wanted.

“Why would you buy me something to eat?”

“Excuse me?” Jinyoung said with a scoff. “Why would I care whether you have to eat or not? I just wanted to eat, and being the gentleman I am, I would not forget to feed you.”

A feeling of sadness, mixed with hurt pride, was overwhelming me. I cared too much about his words, and the harshness did not escape me. The worst part was… That he would not forget to feed me. As if I am an animal, who cannot even provide itself food. Slowly, I could feel tears pricking in my eyes. It was not the moment to let them fall, so I did my utmost best to hold them in. I was not going to cry…

No…

But those tears still made its way down my cheeks…

And I could not stop them, even when I wanted to…

And I could not help but feel relieved as I cried…

I am not asking for too much, right?

I just want to be able to trust someone, for someone to be good to me…

“Why are you crying, again?”

I looked up to meet a pair of frustrated eyes, and it did not stop my tears. The more I looked at him, the more those tears fell. It was a silent cry; I did not make the slightest sound. I did not have the courage to even cry out loud, since I knew he would surely snap if I did. Or maybe, I really just did not have the courage to open my mouth and say something, scared of what I would possibly say when I did.  

“Are you feeling hurt? Sad?” He looked me right in the eyes. “Alone?”

I stared at him like a doll, not moving a finger. My vision was getting blurry, and I could feel my cheeks heating up in an uncomfortable way, but nothing could stop me from crying. I just had to. I already was not crying because of the building harshness I have been getting today, no, I was using this opportunity to cry because of what I had to do just to live on.

“Why are you crying, when you were so determined yesterday when you agreed on being our companion?”

I just wanted to be a pianist. There is nothing more that I want than to be someone my parents could be proud of. In the toughest years of piano playing, I had to practice eight hours a day. Eight hours, starting from the early morning before going to school until the late night before I had to sleep. I would also have to make my homework, and since we are not rich and live quite far from the school, I had to wake up early in the morning to go to school with my bicycle.

They were tough years, and I knew how exhausted I felt sometimes back then. It felt… Just like how I feel right now… But it was every day… It was a routine that began to haunt me every day I woke up. Waking up, practicing, going to school, coming home, practicing, making homework, practicing, trying to sleep. There was no one to blame other than me for the life I was living back then. I was the one who chose this hard road, and I was the one who wanted to become a pianist.

But sometimes… Sometimes it felt so incredibly tiring, and hopeless, that I really wanted to give up. Whenever I came home, only to realize that my parents would not be home until midnight, I would realize just what an empty life I was living. Whenever I was sad, tired, there was no one to support me, no one to tell me I was going to be alright. It was only me… Telling myself that hard work is going to pay off… Making myself believe that miracles do exist…

What else could I do? What else could I do, except for telling myself lies over and over again? Every minute was so precious, and I could not even afford a minute to stand still and think about what I was doing. I could not afford myself to stop for a moment to take a breath, because if I did so, I would not be able to catch up anymore.

My eyes wandered to my hand. It was still bandaged, and it still killed me as I looked at it. I was at the edge of breaking, and I knew that very well. I was at the edge of giving up, and I only needed one more slight push to do so. Colorless… Pointless… Hopeless… And I only needed one more word before I would finally accept the truth… One more word to stop myself from believing those lies I had been making myself believe in…

“Tired…”

I muttered, trying to wipe off the endless tears coming from my eyes. So extremely tired… So extremely exhausted… So hopelessly living without a goal…

My whole body stiffened upon feeling something soft touching my face. I could not clearly see what it was, but slowly, my tears were getting wiped off by it. Gradually, I could see what was wiping off all my tears of grief. I looked him in the eyes as he wiped off all my tears with his hand, and the look in his eyes scared me for a moment.

It was not concern.

It was not care.

It was… Understanding.

It was as if looking in the mirror.

And he did not say the one word that I needed to completely give up. Instead, at the crucial moment…

“Everything is going to be alright.”