“Kyuhyun, Lee Sungmin from third class is searching for you.”

“Oh, thank you.” Kyuhyun, albeit his mood was not getting better, still dragging his legs to see the cute boy who was standing in front of his class door. He let out a smile after seeing how bright Sungmin was. Somehow he was feeling better after seeing this side of Sungmin. “Hi.”

“Come on.” Sungmin dragged the taller boy out to their special headquarter (which was the backyard) to get their lunch together. Kyuhyun just let Sungmin did whatever he wanted—Kyuhyun didn’t have anything to do anyway. It was lunch time already, but he didn’t like to eat something, but then again he still had Sungmin to bring up his lunch. He still had a week and two days for this anyway.

They stopped on the usual bench they used to sit on. Sungmin was the one who take a seat first, then he pulled Kyuhyun to sit beside him. Sungmin carefully opened his lunch box to show Kyuhyun what he made today. Although Sungmin always brought kimchi with whatever he made in his box lunch, today Kyuhyun’s lunch was somehow a little bit expensive. They were bulgogi and fried rice with kimchi as a side dish, also with cute shaped stir fried vegetable. Kyuhyun was amused by this. “You surely make lunch for kids.”

“I can’t help it, Minseok likes cute shape so much he won’t eat his lunch if I don’t make it like this.” Sungmin shrugged. “Let’s eat?” Sungmin handed the chopsticks to Kyuhyun but he refused it.

“I… don’t feel like eating right now.”

Sungmin heard it right. There was sadness hinted on Kyuhyun’s low voice. Kyuhyun looked ugly today—he usually had this playful smirk on his face whenever Sungmin got his lunch delivered. But today the Kyuhyun Sungmin knew was far different. There must be something wrong. But Sungmin wasn’t the type to bug someone else’s business. “You know, yesterday my brother went back from his friend’s house with a plastic bag. I thought he brought something with him, but I remember didn’t give too much money for him to buy three servings of pork. So I thought he stole it.” Sungmin grabbed the bulgogi with the chopsticks to put it into Kyuhyun’s mouth, which Kyuhyun accepted without any protests. “But he told me that someone way taller than me gave him that, and I knew right away who this person was.”

“Y-you know?” Kyuhyun bitted his bottom lips after his chewed down the bulgogi. The taste was really awesome.

“Somehow.” Sungmin chuckled. “I knew I couldn’t just run after the boy, and so I thought why I just turned it into something the boy can consume too, and this how it’s turned out to be.” Sungmin fed Kyuhyun more of the bulgogi mixed with the vegetable (Kyuhyun cringed at this) and smiled so oh brightly Kyuhyun couldn’t help but to blush at this. “Minseok and Jinki were so happy to get bulgogi for their dinner and their lunch so I’m thinking about giving more of this boy my lunch box although my lunch’s less than ordinary.”

“Your food’s always delicious for me!”

“Thank you.” Sungmin gave him the fried rice in change of the blurted out gratitude. “Then, would you like to have lunch with me from now on?”

Kyuhyun had to control his jaw for not hanging too much because he still had meal inside. He was happy to hear that. “Then allow me to go shopping with you?”

“Eh?”

“To spare the lunch fee… I won’t receive it free.” Kyuhyun got himself as a big boss like the usual himself. “You can’t say no to this because I know your place.”

“Of course you know, you stalked me yesterday, remember?” Sungmin laughed at him. “Okay, whatever you want.” Sungmin fed himself with the delicious bulgogi he made himself. “You should drop by if you have time. Minseok and Jinki would be happy to have guest to have dinner with them.”

Kyuhyun was stunned for seconds. Dinner time made him traveled back to last night accident, but the invitation was really tempting he just nodded to it. He was also curious at Sungmin’s little family when they had their dinner. Must be not any similar with what he had every night.

“I’ll drop by today.” Sungmin choked on his food. He wasn’t preparing at what he was hearing at all. “Yah, take it easy.” Kyuhyun helped him patted on his back. “Is it too soon?”

“I haven’t shopping for your visit!”

“Then we’ll shop together.” Kyuhyun winked at flustered Sungmin. “I’ll treat you all because you’re kindly invite me out to your house.”

Sungmin shook his head. “But you treated us last night! It’s not fair for you…”

Kyuhyun didn’t know how many times he had taken aback by Sungmin’s words. Sungmin didn’t know his family problem at all, but it seemed like Sungmin knew it secretly. His words made Kyuhyun feel like he was a real human, like he needed to be treated like a teenage would be. Maybe it was because Sungmin had two little brothers he understood the sadness Kyuhyun had. Kyuhyun secretly smiled. “Just think it as my gift for my first meeting with your brother.”

“Still…”

“Or I’ll just visit with full meal for your brother?”

“D-don’t! I’ll… we’ll share it!” Sungmin suggested what Kyuhyun didn’t understand at all. “We share the meal, so I’ll pay the half, okay?”

Kyuhyun thought. As a good cook like Sungmin, he must be thinking about expensive stuffs to make because Kyuhyun was the guest here, and it would probably cost too much for him. Kyuhyun didn’t want himself to be a burden for the cute boy. “How about 70:30?” Kyuhyun suggested other way. “Because you’re the cook and I’m the guest, I think 70:30 is fair.”

“O-okay…”

“It settles then.” Kyuhyun happily munched on the food Sungmin brought, feeling excited to spend the day with this cutie. Though he was having a bad day just before this angel come—even his friends couldn’t make it better, but with this oldest Lee he felt like he was in heaven. What would it be, then? Did he fall for the cutie? Thinking about it made Kyuhyun touched his own chest. The beating was really loud and fast, like he was just having three rounds off running on the soccer field. He knew from the first time they met he was having this special feeling for the boy. He didn’t know things turned this well though.

----

The café was awfully crowded today. Girls dominated the café, and there were some customers who were waiting outside to eat at Heechul’s café. Sungmin didn’t know today was going to be this busy because yesterday he had day off because of the autumn festival. He actually felt on the cloud because he thought the customers came to see him today but then again, it was probably because of the amazing chef Henry on the kitchen. His meals were amazing compared what Sungmin made. Why did Kyuhyun fall for his food anyway?

Oh, speaking of the devil, he was sitting on one of the table, playing with his PSP while waited for Sungmin’s shift to end. They had promise, remember? Kyuhyun didn’t even go home for changing his uniform—he said that he liked wearing his uniform. What a stupid reason.

Actually, Kyuhyun was bored despite feeling excited on what would Sungmin make today for their dinner. He had waited for almost four hours, but he couldn’t let Sungmin know how bored he was. So he played with his phone and his PSP, but he got entertained easily as Heechul came to accompany him. Heechul asked what he was playing but then he stole the PSP away and played with it instead. Though Kyuhyun was still happy because he could trick Heechul.

“What makes you sitting here all calm like Yesung’s Ddangkoma?” Heechul asked out of blue, making Kyuhyun smiled sheepishly to the thought of dinner with Sungmin. “You’re turned to be a damn good boy.”

“Hyung, you shouldn’t compare me to not-moving-at-all Ddangkoma!” Kyuhyun kicked Heechul’s foot in revenge. “I’m waiting for Sungmin, you know. We had plan having dinner together tonight.”

Heechul stared at Kyuhyun’s way before he turned his gaze away. The atmosphere went to an awkward stance, but only Heechul could feel that. “Yeah?” he managed to blurt out, “I see you guys closer these days. Is there something I don’t know about you two?” actually Heechul didn’t plan on interrogating his friend like this—it was happening before he realized it.

“I think so too.” Kyuhyun shrugged, tried his best to not seen exaggerating. “Remember when I borrowed your maid costume? That was for Sungmin. He needed that, so I thought I’d help him, but in return I wanted him to make lunch for me for two weeks. Apparently he asked to let him making me lunch from now on, so I can’t refuse.” Kyuhyun glanced toward the latter who was busy on the cashier. “Hyung… I don’t know but… when I’m with him, I can get rid of my parents from my mind.”

Heechul stopped on his track. He didn’t give much attention to PSP he had on his hand anymore—he was lost on his thoughts. It was the first time he heard that Kyuhyun could not think about his parents’ matter. Kyuhyun usually still got them stuck on his head although Kangin or Donghae was doing something stupid just to make him laughing so that he could forget about his parents, but that was to no avail. It was so hard to distract Kyuhyun from his problems, but this Sungmin guy who knew Kyuhyun these days got to do that? Heechul was afraid. He wasn’t afraid of Sungmin’s succeed to cheer Kyuhyun up. He was afraid that Sungmin got steal away from him. That Sungmin became Kyuhyun’s most important person in his life that he did. He was afraid Kyuhyun was more afraid to lose Sungmin than his parents.

“I think I love him, hyung.”

And Heechul had his life crushed down in a second.

----

Sungmin and Kyuhyun went shopping for their dinner time. They dropped by the groceries near Sungmin’s place to buy things they need. Kyuhyun requested lots of meat for their dinner (he said he loved meats too much) but Sungmin insisted to get vegetable because they were good for his brother’s health. Also, it cost less than a serving of meat. But Kyuhyun still buy the meat, saying that his brother would like it too because they would have barbeque, so Sungmin decided to buy the ingredient to make a beansprout soup instead. Whatever with Kyuhyun’s love for meat.

Now they were in the beverage section, which actually Kyuhyun dragged Sungmin here (Sungmin said it wasn’t good to let kids drink carbonated drinks) to get strawberry juice for Minseok and Jinki. Meanwhile, Kyuhyun still put a bottle of cola, saying that it was for himself. “Do you think it’s better to get strawberry juice and mango juice? What about an orange juice?” Kyuhyun asked the sighing Sungmin, obvious to the face Sungmin was making. “Strawberry juice won’t be enough for them, believe me.”

“They’ll just get a mineral water, Kyuhyun.” Sungmin said in a bored tone because Kyuhyun wouldn’t budge from this place if Sungmin didn’t choose one, really. Their groceries was so much already Sungmin couldn’t pick the basket up by himself. “Just the strawberry one, Kyuhyun.”

“Just get one and hurry up.” Kyuhyun stopped on his argument with Sungmin when he heard the familiar voice. It was deep and cold as he remembered, but that was something he rarely heard outside his house. He then crooked his neck to his left side to find the owner of the voice with a different girl from the last time he saw, browsing through cans of beers. The silhouette was too much resembled to his father he couldn’t take away his gaze.

“Kyuhyun?” Sungmin thought Kyuhyun was thinking on something because he didn’t react to any of Sungmin’s call, and the look on Kyuhyun made him thinking that Kyuhyun was having a shock. It was then Sungmin saw a man on his late forty with a woman on her twenty were shopping together that Sungmin thought Kyuhyun was jealous of them.

Kyuhyun tore away his gaze and turned his back to face the couple to put the strawberry and mango juice into their basket. He then brought the basket to the cashier and paid for them all although Sungmin was fighting with his wallet but Kyuhyun didn’t spare him a look. With an awkward silence Sungmin and Kyuhyun walked through the night to Sungmin’s place, but Kyuhyun abruptly stopped in the middle.

“I’m sorry….”

“Hm? What’re you sorry for?” Sungmin just played along with Kyuhyun, knowing it already that the couple that made his friend muted and all desperate.

“We promised to share the bill 70:30… but I got angry from what I saw…”

Sungmin smiled in return. He often faced Minseok and Jinki when they had problems like this. It was the same with Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun was probably had a hard time to talk what he had inside his mind that he acted this way. “I s-saw it…”

“You saw it?”

“Y-yeah… m-my father and another w-woman… again…” Kyuhyun found his shoes were more interesting than Sungmin’s face. He didn’t want to see Sungmin’s pity gaze—he didn’t want to be pitied.

“You have the right to ask him about the woman, though.” Sungmin reached for Kyuhyun’s cheeks, rubbed the protruding bone on his cheek slowly. It made Kyuhyun a little bit calmer. “You’re his son, surely you’re his treasure.”

“But you don’t know my family…” Kyuhyun muttered in a defeated tone, ready to cry if it wasn’t for Sungmin hands on his cheek. “They’re different from what you have in your thought.”

“You’re your parents’ only child, right?” Kyuhyun nodded, “you’re their treasure, believe me. Sometimes, when it’s too hard to understand, you need someone to be leaned on, but when you go to wrong person, then you’ll get yourself stuck on your problems more.” Kyuhyun recorded well Sungmin’s words. The wrong person… was that his father had had right now? Kyuhyun didn’t know. “Talk it out with your parents. Adults are no different from kids. They want to be heard out too.”

Kyuhyun felt like he was hypnotized. Sungmin’s words repeated nonstop on his mind all the way to Sungmin’s place. It seemed like he had to try this out later.

----

To Be Continued