“Kyuhyun-ah, what happened?”

Sungmin was all wide-eyed as he quickly withdrew his lips from Kyuhyun.

“We kissed for the second time,” Kyuhyun replied nonchalantly.

Sungmin did not know how to feel – embarrassed or angry. Embarrassed for kissing Kyuhyun or angry that Kyuhyun seemed to be cool about it. Sungmin’s face started to turn red.

“This kissing thing is getting too frequent. I know I’m dashing, charming and attractive but …” Kyuhyun teased with a smirk.

Before Kyuhyun could finish his sentence, Sungmin snapped and cut in as he straightened himself up: “Ya Cho Kyuhyun! Who do you think you are? What makes you think you’re so good-looking that I have fallen …?”

Sungmin felt giddy and fell face forward into Kyuhyun’s chest.

Kyuhyun’s embrace felt really warm. It was though Kyuhyun was still a living human. He shyly looked up at Kyuhyun and his gaze settled on Kyuhyun’s orbs. They were bright and gleaming. Sungmin felt his soul being hooked by Kyuhyun. His heart started to beat a little faster.

Meanwhile Kyuhyun could feel something stirring within himself as he gazed into his charged. Those foxy eyes were now gentle and a little coy, looking at Kyuhyun lovingly and adoringly.

Kyuhyun cleared his throat to speak, “I was teasing you earlier. You probably had another pain attack, lost your balance and fell into me. Just like the first time. Our lips happened to brush against each other. That’s all.”

“Oh.”

Sungmin paused for a while before he continued, “Kyuhyun-ah, mianhae.”

Kyuhyun nodded his head.

Silence followed before Sungmin finally spoke up, “Kyuhyun-ah, can I pass you the script to the musical?”

“Sure.”

Sungmin his computer and printer, opened a word document and printed the script.

“So what’s the musical about?” Kyuhyun asked dryly.

Sungmin hesitated for a while before stuttering, “The…story…can…be…quite…controversial.”

Kyuhyun cocked his eyes. His interest was now piqued. “So tell me about it!”

“Well, the story is about two high school friends in an arts and performing college. Their names are Jun Hyung and Hyun Seung. They have been best friends since elementary school and they dreamed of becoming performers. Jun Hyung is a little bit of a rascal and hooligan. But he is loyal and protective over Hyun Seung. However all that changed when they entered arts school and they met this girl called Hyun A, a girl from the countryside. She became friends with the two boys. Jun Hyung likes her but she likes Hyun Seung who is in turn in love with Jun Hyung. But Jun Hyung unknowingly has feelings for Hyun Seung too…”

“Stop! Is this a musical?”Kyuhyun exclaimed, his pupils widening in shock.

Sungmin nodded sheepishly.

“A-cha! What did I get myself into?” Kyuhyun face palmed. “Is there anything else I should know that you haven’t told me?”

“Well…” Sungmin said quietly, “there will be a boy on boy kissing scene and some .”

“Mweo?” Kyuhyun’s jaw dropped. “This plot is too controversial for a school musical, isn’t it?”

“We wanted to do something different,” Sungmin replied quietly.

“Still…” Kyuhyun exclaimed.

He paused for a while. “Who wrote the script?”

“I wrote it along with Key.”

“I really want to look into that brain of yours and examine your thoughts,” Kyuhyun said caustically.

“I’m sorry for not telling you what the musical is about,” Sungmin said softly.

“You should be. I wouldn’t have agreed to do it if I knew what it was about. So what role would I be playing? Are you acting in it?”

“You will be Jun-hyung. And I’m not acting in it.”

“Then what will you do?”

“Directing.”

“And who’s playing the part of Hyun A and Hyun Seung?”

“You haven’t met them yet.”

“Just tell me their names.”

“Joo-hyun and Donghae. You’ll meet them tomorrow during our rehearsal. Would you have time to go through your script tonight?”

There was a tinge of excitement in Sungmin’s voice.

Kyuhyun sighed and nodded as he took the stack of papers from Sungmin. “I’ll go through the script tonight.”

Sungmin then passed him a CD. “These are some of the songs that we are performing. I’ve indicated the songs that Jun-hyung would be singing.”

Kyuhyun nodded.

Kyuhyun took a sip of tea. The rain had stopped.

“Sungmin, thanks for the tea. The rain has stopped. I should get going. I still have some personal matters to settle.”

Sungmin nodded.

They left the room and they walked down the stairs together. As they reached the living room, Sungmin saw his father and called out, “Abeoji!”

Kyuhyun saw the older male. He bowed and greeted the older male and introduced himself as Cho Kyuhyun, Sungmin’s classmate.

Cho Kyuhyun. This name seems to ring a bell. Where have I heard this name before? That is familiar too. Where have I seen it before?

The older Mr Lee was lost in thought that he did not notice Sungmin collapsing into Kyuhyun’s arms.

Sungmin could feel the pressure building in his brain as another blurry image flashed by.

“So tell me more about this classmate of yours,” an older male in his late forties said.

“He’s a new student,” a teenage boy replied.

“I guess he must have just returned from overseas or something. Is he from some affluent or respectable family?”

The boy shook his head. “No he isn’t. The school awarded him a scholarship. He is really good in his studies, especially in mathematics. He does quite well in sports too.”

“Scholarship eh? So he’s from a poor family.”

“His family isn’t well off. His dad was involved in an industrial accident and is unable to work. He has a younger sister to support. His mother isn’t in good health too. So he’s working part time such as delivering milk in the mornings and at the construction site one or two days after school hours. Yet he is able to do so well in his studies. Isn’t he amazing?”

The older man snorted. “Poor chaps like him are just making use of you to climb up the social ladder.”

“Abeoji! He isn’t! He’s not that kind of person! He’s really my good friend.”

“He’s just using you, using your wealth and your status!”

“He’s not! When I offered to pay him his lost wages as a result of him participating in the play and the rehearsals and thus missing his work, he got angry at me and said I insulted him.”

“So he’s play the pride card eh? That’s just a trick to get you to feel sympathetic towards them. That’s how they make use of you.”

“He’s not. He’s a really nice and sincere guy. He helps me out with mathematics.”

“He’s buying your favour.”

“He’s not. He has been nice to me since the first time we met. He didn’t know about my family background then.”

“Well, it could have been just pretence or staged. Or he could have dug a little into your background afterwards.”

“He’s not that kind of person!” the teenager lost his temper. “He’s a sweet, sincere, humble guy!”

“What do you know about people?”

“Sungmin! Sungmin! Gwenchana?” Kyuhyun called out to Sungmin.

“Kyuhyun-ah,” Sungmin’s eyes fluttered and he forced a smile. “I’m fine. Thanks for catching me.”

“Is the pain acting up again? Remember to take your medicine,” Kyuhyun said gently.

“Pain … medicine … Sungmin, what is wrong with you?” the older Mr Lee asked. Concern and worry was written all over his face and tone.

“Abeoji, I’m fine,” Sungmin uttered softly.

“Did you just faint or have a giddy spell? Is your illness acting up again? I thought we had it under control. I hope it’s not getting worse. Come, let me take you the hospital for an examination,” Mr Lee said.

“Abeoji, I just came from the hospital. Kyuhyun accompanied me. The doctor said that I am fine. It’s just a migraine. He had given me some painkillers. Kyuhyun was there with me,” Sungmin replied.

Sungmin shot Kyuhyun a pleading look. Kyuhyun knew that Sungmin wanted him to lie, or rather go with what Sungmin said. He was a little hesitant.

Kyuhyun shot Sungmin an “I will go along with you but you have to tell your father soon about your condition” look.

Sungmin nodded in understanding.

“I brought him to the hospital earlier. He had some scans done. Nothing too serious at this moment,” Kyuhyun said in one breath.

Mr Lee nodded and bowed. “Thank you for taking care of my son.”

“It’s my pleasure. Sungmin is after all my friend and classmate.”

“No, you’re hyung’s angel!” a voice suddenly exclaimed from behind.  

It was Sungyeol.

“Yeollie, there’s no such thing as angels,” Mr Lee ruffled the younger boy’s hair.

“But hyung said that Kyuhyun is his angel.”

“Silly boy, your hyung didn’t mean it literally.”

“Really?” Sungyeol pouted.

“Mr Lee, I like to thank you and Sungmin for your hospitality. I have to get going.”

“Nice meeting you Kyuhyun-ssi.”

Kyuhyun bowed and took his leave.

Cho Kyuhyun, this name. I know I heard this name somewhere.

Mr Lee sighed.

He was glad that his son had such a good friend.

Friends who care are rare to come by. His own father had always warned him to be cautious when getting to know people and to be careful of the so called friends who are in fact making use of them for their own benefits.   

He thought of his deceased brother who had a best friend in high school. But Mr Lee could not recollect that name.

……

It started pouring again.

Kyuhyun was in an all white ensemble. He was in the cemetery, or rather sitting on a slab of marble of what is his resting place.

His grave was without weeds. There was a bouquet flowers that had been placed there. Kyuhyun picked it up and smelled it. They were fresh.

It was probably his sister and his elderly mother who had visited the grave some time earlier. They had been doing so regularly for the last 25 years.

He was happy for his family. His sister did well in her studies, received a scholarship, and went to university, found a good husband and settled down. He knew life had been hard for her after his death but deep inside he was proud of her for working and supporting the family.

She wouldn’t have to go through all that if he didn’t die, he thought to himself.

I should be 43 this year if I didn’t die. I wonder what I’ll be like.

I had always wanted to be an artiste, but that was not possible. I’ll probably be an ordinary salary man eking out his everyday life for his family, he thought.

The raindrops fell on him, but he was not wet. His figure was glowing.

He sighed as he remembered the day of his burial.

His parents were crying their hearts and lungs out as they crumbled to the ground with a look of devastation as his coffin was being lowered.

His younger sister was trying her best to hold back her tears without much success as she tried to comfort their parents.

As he recollected that scene, a tear fell from his eyes.

He could see many teenagers gathered at his grave. Their eyes were wet as they were sobbing uncontrollably.

He remember this particular boy who had to be restrained as he was agitated and calling out for him (Kyuhyun) to come back as earth was being thrown over the coffin.

The boy looked like he was ready to plunge forward into the crater.

Who’s that boy? Why is he behaving this way?

“Thinking about something,” a voice suddenly asked him.

Kyuhyun turned around and saw a glowing figure. He exclaimed, “Leeteuk sunbae-nim!”

“I knew that you would be here. You were looking for me.”

Kyuhyun nodded. “I wanted to…”

Leeteuk cut in and smiled, “I know what you want. For goodness sake, Kyuhyun why are you out here in this rain? Can we act like human beings and go to a more comfortable place to talk?”

“Like where?”

……

Kyuhyun found himself seated in a coffeehouse stirring his cup of latte as Leeteuk sipped on his cappuccino. Their good looks and their pristine white ensemble which made them look like prices attracted a lot of attention and looks from the females.

“Do you like this place? I heard that Prince Coffee House attracts quite a number of good looking people especially artistes,” Leeteuk asked as his placed his cup back on the saucer.

Kyuhyun scowled. “Why do I feel that I’m like a piece of meat that those girls are salivating for?”

Leeteuk smirked. “Well, if you get lucky, one of them could be a talent scout and who knows you might fulfil your dream of become an artiste in some boy group.”

Kyuhyun scoffed. “I’ll pass. I like what I’m doing right now. Besides, I have a high musical to participate in.”

Leeteuk raised his eye brows. “Sounds interesting. Tell me more about it. What’s it about?”

“Some story about dreams, friendship and love that is set in high school. I haven’t read the script yet. This is what the writer director Sungmin told me.”

Leeteuk nodded. “So you’ll get a chance to perform. What role are you playing?”

“Some messed up rebellious dude who doesn’t know whether he’s in love with his best friend who is a guy or this girl,” Kyuhyun said dryly.

“Sounds challenging,” Leeteuk remarked.

“Indeed.”

Kyuhyun took a sip of his latte. “You should know why I paged for you.”

Leeteuk nodded. “Your past, your memories. I’ve lost count of the number of times we had this conversation and topic in the last few months.”

“Hyung, I’m serious. Can’t you tell me anything?”

“I can’t. I’m sorry. That would be breaking a rule.”

“But hyung, I really want to know! I have this feeling that this Lee Sungmin and I are somehow connected or linked. And if it is so, and he’s the one that I’ve been looking forward to meet … but on the day I regain my memories … and he dies … I don’t know how am I going to take it.”

Tears started to form Kyuhyun’s eyes.

Leeteuk reached out his hand to touch Kyuhyun’s hand.

“Hyung, I really want to know. Is Lee Sungmin related to my past memories?”

“Kyu…you’re an intelligent kid. I’m sure you can figure it out.”

“No I can’t!” Kyuhyun broke down. “Because I don’t remember anything. Because certain things don’t make sense. I really want to remember! Who’s that boy who was crying so devastatingly at my funeral?”

“Kyu, calm down,” Leeteuk gripped Kyuhyun’s hand. “I know it has been hard on you. But I’m sure you can wait a few more days.”

Kyuhyun sighed, “I hope so.”

“Kyu, I can’t tell you anything that you want to know. But I can assure you that your memories will come back to you. If you want to find them back a little earlier, trust your instincts and seek out places that you find familiar. Who knows what you can find.”

“Trust my instincts? Seek out places that I find familiar?”

Leeteuk took a sip at his cappuccino, waved to a girl who was eyeing him and then nodded his head at Kyuhyun.

“Kyu, this is as much as I could do for you,” Leeteuk thought. “I hope when you wouldn’t be devastated when you finally remember.”

“Now, let’s enjoy our coffee,” Leeteuk said as he smiled brightly at Kyuhyun.  

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Here's the update as promised. Hope it isn't too late. And I hope it comes in time to brighten your Monday.

I might need another week to finish the next chapter, so I humbly ask for your patience and consideration. 

Please continue to leave your comments for me. And if you're new here, welcome and I hope you like this story so far. 

Meanwhile please check out my other fan-fics:

KyuMin: Almost a love story

It's You (너라고) Neorago (a YeWook fan-fic)

Thank you so much.

Will Kyuhyun ever get his memories back? How would he get his memories back? Who exactly is Sungmin?  Share your thoughts.