Chapter 5 – Don’t Lie to Me

            The older of the two men watched as the younger stood away from his daughter.  His heart felt as if it had stopped, causing him to hold his breath.  He still looks as handsome as the day I first met him.  But he looks tired.  The older man continued to watch, unsure of what to do.  Should he say something?  He opens his mouth, but stops himself.  What am I supposed to say?  The rest of the men watched in anticipation, in the same position as the other man.  They didn’t know what to do either.  They felt as if it wasn’t in their place to disrupt what was fate.

            However, something unexpected happened, which shocked the lot.  There was, luckily, also a sort of relief.  But for who, nobody knew.  The youngest man put on a smile and gave a deep bow.  “It’s very nice to see you again Hyung,” he said in the strongest voice he could muster.

            The older man’s heart, which was already cracked, broke.  He tightened his grip on the air and forced an equally wide smile on his face.  He had never called him that in front of the guys.  It was too formal and was far from intimacy.  However, he was slightly relieved that the man had managed to move on, even if it was the most painful thing he’s ever felt.  “It’s nice to see you again Kyuhyun-ah,” the man said, waving his hand to loosen himself up.

            Kyuhyun, still worked up in his bow, forced himself up to reveal his smile.  “I’m sorry hyung, but if you wouldn’t mind, please call me with formalities,” he said, nodding his head.  Without waiting for the other’s reaction, he turned to the rest of the members.  “You guys left out the surprise.  I expect dinner!”  With that, he picked up his bags and walked confidently into his room.

            “Kyuhyun,” a man yelled, attempting to follow him.

            “Yesung, let’s leave him alone for now,” the leader said, stopping him right in his tracks.  He then turned to the frozen man, who had now put a hand over his chest.  “Sungmin, you can’t be doing that.”

            Sungmin was shocked back to life as he felt his daughter gripping onto his leg.  He looked down and gazed into her concerned eyes.  “Appa,” she whispered.  “Okay?”

            He forced on a smile and bent down to pick his daughter up.  “Of course sweetie,” he said, gently tapping her nose, causing her to scrunch it.  “Daddy was just a little shocked.”

            “Because of Kyukyu,” she asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

            Sungmin hesitated, but knew he couldn’t hide anything from his daughter.  “Yes, because of Kyuhyun,” he whispered.  He then turned to the rest of the men.  “I’m going to take her to the park for the night.  Drag Kyuhyun out and spend some time with him.  Tell me when he goes to bed.”

            “Sungmin, it’s not safe for her to be out late at night,” the leader said, concerned for their little darling.

            “Don’t worry too much Leeteuk,” he said, putting a thick coat on him and his daughter.  “If you’re that worried, then just make sure he’s out when we come back.  I don’t want Sa-Hyun stuck inside a room all day.”

            Leeteuk sighed, knowing that he didn’t have the right to tell Sungmin how to raise his daughter.  “Fine, but be careful,” he said, gently tapping him on the back.  “And don’t worry about Kyuhyun.  He just needs more time to adjust.”

            Sungmin zipped up his jacket before turning to face his hyung and looking him in the eyes.  “It’s been two years,” he whispered, despair creeping into his voice.  “How much more time does he need?”

            The leader kept his mouth shut, knowing that even he didn’t know the answer to that question.  Instead, he watched as his dongsaeng took his beautiful daughter and walked out of the dorm.

            “So, how was America,” Yesung asked, taking a small sip of soju.

            Kyuhyun looked up from the feast in front of him and eyed the soju in front of his hyung.  “It was different to say the least,” he said, taking the bottle from him.  “Though, I can say that I missed this.  As much as I loved American food, Korean food will always have a special place in my heart.”

            The members chuckled at their maknae’s silly response.  He was still such a kid, even though he was nearly thirty one.  “It’s always food with you,” Donghae said, stealing a piece of BBQ from his beloved roommate.

            “Hey,” Eunhyuk exclaimed as he attempted to steal it back.  The slice quickly made its way into Donghae’s mouth with a small smile.  “Says you!”  He then huffed and turned back to his food.

            “Don’t fight,” Leeteuk nagged, “There’s enough food to go around!”

            “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I cooked enough to feed you all three times around,” Ryeowook said, leaning towards Yesung, who smiled at his boyfriend.

            “You guys still haven’t changed,” Kyuhyun mumbled through his bibimbap.  And what a relief that is.

            Kyuhyun watched his hyungs happily, not acknowledging the feeling of emptiness that threatened to creep into his cold heart.  He missed this.  So much.  He would never admit it, but his time in America was an attempt to heal his broken heart.  It had, however, failed, leaving him slightly even more pained and tortured at the thought that he would forever be alone.  He never thought that he would be able to stand strong by himself.  Not one.  Which scared him so much.  What kind of person wasn’t able to live by themselves? 

            His grip tightened around his chopsticks, which didn’t go unnoticed by a certain hyung.  He didn’t notice and smiled, wishing and hoping that they would stay like this forever.

            He didn’t want this story to end.

            “Kyuhyun, are you sure you don’t want to go off to bed yet,” Yesung asked, dragging his very drunk boyfriend to their bedroom. 

            He shook his head and drank another shot of soju.  “I need some alone time,” he mumbled, still able to tolerate the many shots he’s had. 

            Yesung nodded his head and disappeared into their bedroom.  Kyuhyun sat alone, staring into the distance.  He watched the clock, the seconds continuing to tick by.  He felt his heart clench every now and then, but he didn’t truly know what was causing it.  He stared down at the table, which had been cleared earlier by the ever persistent Ryeowook before he collapsed.  “Was this the right decision,” he whispered out loud, rubbing the back of his neck.

            He continued to stare at the table, feeling himself drift off.  The door suddenly opened, letting in an adorable little girl, followed by her father.  She scrambled in, pulling him by his hand.  “D-Daddy,” she whispered, noticing the sleeping man on the table.  “Man sleeping.”

            The man locked the door before turning towards the man on the table.  “It’s just Kyuhyun, Sa-Hyun,” he said.

            Sa-Hyun grabbed her father’s hand and dragged him towards the man.  “He the one,” she asked, pointing at him.

            Sungmin looked gently towards the sleeping maknae and smiled.  “Yeah, he’s the one,” he whispered back.  He would have stayed there forever, wanting to watch him in such a peaceful state, but he knew he shouldn’t.  He turned towards his daughter.  “Sa-Hyun, can you go and get ready for bed?  I’ll go and set Kyuhyun to bed.”

            She nodded and waddled her way to their bedroom.  Sungmin then took a seat beside Kyuhyun and set his head on his hands.  “He was always the one,” he whispered, reaching out to gently brush his fingers through the maknae’s soft locks.

            To Sungmin’s shock, the man in front of him suddenly stood up and pulled away.  Without making any sort of eye contact, he made his way to his bedroom.  Before Sungmin could say a word, he turned around, still staring at the floor.  “D-Don’t say that,” Kyuhyun choked out.  “Stop lying to me.”  For the final time, he turned and made his way to his room.

            Sungmin could do nothing else but stare.  He had no right, no matter how much he wanted to run and comfort him.  Feeling his heart drop, he stood up from his chair and made his way to his daughter, a billion of thoughts passing through his mind.

^^^^^^^^^^

A/N:  Hello everyone!  Sorry for the late update.  I just started senior year so I’m working on a bunch of college essays.  So, there will be quite a bit of delays, but I will always update as soon as I can!

Please send some love for this fic via comments, upvotes, and subcribes!  It’s feeling lonely /.\