“What are you doing with him?”

Kyuhyun hissed the moment Ryeowook entered the car. Still distracted by the text message, Ryeowook gripped onto his phone and looked out, left and right. Henry was still watching them from across the road but other than him, there was no one else in sight. But Henry was not holding a phone so it couldn’t be him that had sent the text now could it? When Ryeowook heard Kyuhyun repeating his question again, Ryeowook snapped his head to Kyuhyun.

Ryeowook grimaced. “Are you following me?”

“Ryeowook,” Kyuhyun spoke with dark eyes, “That kid almost hurt you. Don’t you remember? Why are you with him?”

“That was a few years ago.”  Ryeowook fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat. “He’s been through a lot with Heechul’s death. He needs me.”

“Like hell he does! Henry never once bothered about Heechul, you know that! He spent all his life drinking and taking drugs. Heechul disappeared after Henry ran away while he was drunk after trying to hurt you, don’t you think that was suspicious?”

“You think Henry’s guilty of Heechul’s death?”

“Yes!” Kyuhyun snapped, “And I don’t want you being around him anymore!”

“Henry would never hurt his brother like that,” Ryeowook shook his head, narrowing his eyes at Kyuhyun. “Don’t talk about him like you know him.”

“Then explain why Heechul’s body was found in the backyard of their own house and why their family moved out straight after Heechul’s death. Explain why Henry only came home the next afternoon after finding out that Heechul had disappeared.” Kyuhyun challenged Ryeowook and then reminded Ryeowook, “Henry was drunk that night, and he was probably high on some kind of drugs. He was going to hurt you, and if he’s capable of hurting you without realizing, he could have also killed Heechul.”

“Kyuhyun, stop, stop,” Ryeowook urged, “You’re…. I…. No, Henry couldn’t have killed Heechul.”

“Yes, he could have! Heechul wasn’t the only person that disappeared that night. Henry went missing too after I stopped him from hurting you and he came back the next day as shiny as a new penny and Heechul didn’t. He could have been a prime suspect too if you hadn’t begged me… to lie to the police to save his !”

“Henry didn’t kill Heechul!” Ryeowook firmly stated, swallowing a lump in his throat as he continued, “He didn’t disappear. That night, after we decided to split up to find Heechul, I found Henry outside my house. I brought him in and got him to crash at my place.”

“You have to believe me, Kyuhyun.” Ryeowook begged when Kyuhyun gave him a suspicious look. “And you’ve to promise to keep that secret only between the both of us. No one can know about what happened that night. Not even Henry. He doesn’t even remember a single thing about what happened.”

Kyuhyun gave Ryeowook a pointed look and then sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I just… Okay, I won’t tell anyone about Henry. But you’ve to promise me something, in compensation to me keeping your secret.”

Ryeowook nodded reluctantly and Kyuhyun continued, “Stop avoiding me.”

“Avoiding you? Who… Who said that I was avoiding you?”

Kyuhyun raised his brows at Ryeowook, “You stuck your head in your locker for ten minutes when you saw me in the hallway in school earlier.”

Ryeowook looked away, face turning red. That was not true! Okay… Well… It wasn’t really ten minutes.

“Ryeowook, come on,” Kyuhyun reached out to grab Ryeowook’s hands on his laps, “We’re best friends. You’re supposed to be hugging me like how you hugged Henry earlier on. Not avoiding me and walking the other way whenever I’m in sight.”

“We were best friends.” Ryeowook pulled away his hands feeling uncomfortable, “Until you became popular and I became fat.”

“But I never stopped caring for you. I was always trying to reach out for you but all you do was push me away. I never wanted to stop being your friend.”

“What was I supposed to do, Kyu?” Ryeowook angrily asked, “You were popular and handsome and everyone wanted to be with you. I was nothing compared to you! I was the fat and ugly kid in school everyone hated. How could you expect me to still be friends with you? What would people say if they saw us walking together?”

“Ryeowook…”

“Look… Can we just… Forget about the past?” Ryeowook begged with trembling lips, looking away. “Being around you… I can’t do it, Kyu. I just feel...”

“I… What we did…. In the past…. Heechul… Heechul knew about it. He must have. Before he disappeared, he kept teasing me about… And…. And he said he broke up with you.” Ryeowook bowed his head, as his eyes welled up, “God, he must have known that I kissed you and I’m the reason the both of you …. and now, he’s dead!”

Kyuhyun was silent for a moment before he continued solemnly, “He didn’t break up with me.”

Ryeowook’s head snapped to Kyuhyun so fast, he felt his head ache. “Wha-What?”

“I was the one who broke things off with him.”

Ryeowook’s eyes widened, “What? W-Why?”

“Because he was cheating on my back. I… Found out he was texting some guy and we broke up a few days before he disappeared.” Kyuhyun responded, “Ryeowook…. You didn’t kiss me. I was the one who kissed you. I… I was upset and frustrated and… I just… Needed you. I… I used you… And I’m sorry.”

Ryeowook was at a loss for words. There were so many things going on in his mind right now, so many questions forming up all at the same time. So Heechul had lied to them the night he disappeared about meeting Kyuhyun and breaking up with him? But why? And why was Heechul acting as if he knew that Ryeowook and Kyuhyun kissed? But the most haunting question Ryeowook had was …Could the person in the video that was with Heechul the night he disappeared be the person Heechul had been cheating on behind Kyuhyun’s back?

“Wh… Who was Heechul cheating on you with?” Ryeowook asked.

Kyuhyun chuckled bitterly. “I don’t know. Heechul saved his contact as Fried Rice in his phone.”

“Fried Rice?”

“Yeah, you know how Heechul had weird nicknames for everyone.” Kyuhyun said, smiling fondly.

When Ryeowook did not respond, Kyuhyun reached out again to squeeze Ryeowook’s shoulder. “Hey, are you okay?”

Ryeowook smiled sadly, feeling his heart ache as he admitted “I can’t believe Heechul’s really… Dead.”

Kyuhyun nodded in understanding and Ryeowook swore he saw Kyuhyun’s eyes gleaming sadly as he silently looked away. Kyuhyun loved Heechul, Ryeowook knew that. Kyuhyun must have been affected as much as they all were when Heechul disappeared and as frustrated and hurt as he was finding out that Kyuhyun had kissed him only because of his heartbreak with Heechul, Ryeowook felt sorry for Kyuhyun for having to go through such a rough time. Finding out the person who you were in love with cheating on you and then disappearing after a few days…. That sounded cruel.

“I’m sorry,” Ryeowook apologized quietly, “For everything that happened.”

Kyuhyun nodded with a small smile, “I’m just glad you’re back now. I’ve been wanting to explain everything.”

“Don’t avoid me anymore, Wookie.” Kyuhyun reminded him, “And don’t hang around with Henry.”

Ryeowook frowned and Kyuhyun sighed, suddenly begun holding onto the steering wheel and started to drive down the road. Confused, Ryeowook asked. “Where are you taking me?”

“I’m sending you home.”

“Why? Kyu, my house is just a few blocks down the road.”

“Because if I don’t, someone else is going to do it.” Kyuhyun muttered. “And I rather not have that.”

Ryeowook kept his mouth shut unsure of what Kyuhyun was talking about. In five minutes, Kyuhyun pulled the car over outside Ryeowook’s house.  

“I… Um… Thanks for… Sending me home.” Ryeowook awkwardly said, unsure of what he should say.

“Do you need me to pick you up for school tomorrow?”

Ryeowook was about to tell Kyuhyun that it was very nice of him to offer a ride to school but he much preferred walking and that Kyuhyun lived on the other side of town away from his house and it would just be troublesome for him. But before he could open his mouth, Ryeowook’s phone vibrated. Ryeowook took it out and read through a text message that was sent. When Ryeowook heard Kyuhyun calling his name, Ryeowook glanced back to Kyuhyun with uncertain eyes.

Ryeowook’s brows knitted, “No?”

“Are you still avoiding me?” Kyuhyun gave Ryeowook a suspicious glare. “You are, aren’t you?”

“I’m not! I just... I just feel… Awkward around you. We haven’t talked in…. Years.” Ryeowook lied awkwardly.  

Before Kyuhyun could say anything else, Ryeowook quickly \ opened the door and said, “Just… Give me some time. And space…. Please. I’ve got to go, Kyuhyun. Thanks for the ride!”

When Ryeowook got off the car, he rushed onto the steps of his house and with trembling hands, inserted the keys to the door. When the door was unlocked, he pushed through them and quickly shut the door. Ryeowook leaned against the door, taking deep breaths. When he heard an engine starting, Ryeowook peeped through the windows to see Kyuhyun finally leaving. Sighing in relief, Ryeowook pulled out his phone, looking through the message he had received earlier.  

“One’s dead and one’s alive. One can’t lie while the other can. Watch your back.” Ryeowook quietly read as he continued, “I didn’t. H.”

When Ryeowook looked up, his eyes caught sight of the orange and yellow flowers he had received on his porch a few days ago. His mother had found a vase and put them in. Walking towards the flowers, Ryeowook picked up the card he had received along with the flower with shaky hands. There was a welcome back message, Ryeowook knew that, but now that he was reading it twice, his heart skipped a beat as he felt his blood run cold.

Donghae’s father couldn’t have sent in.

But Ryeowook had an idea who could have.

And he didn’t like it one bit.

***