Starboy,

“What?” I asked exasperated when I felt Ryeowook stare at me to the point it made me uncomfortable.

“Why didn't you tell me?”

“Tell you what?”

“That you and Heechul are...” he grimaced and articulated weirdly. I raised an eyebrow and waited patiently. When nothing came I decided to help him out. “You mean ?” I asked bluntly and literally choked on my cereal at the scandalised expression on Ryeowook's face. Damn, it was funny to mess with him. Nothing beat the open book my friend was. “Relax Bangs,” I said when it seemed the other appeared close to hyperventilating. “I'm just joking. Heechul and I are best friends-”

“-with benefits,” mentioned person added and plopped down beside me. I kicked him under the table, not bothering to acknowledge him in any other way. Not to mention I could easily picture the Cheshire grin on my best friend's face without having to look up from my cereal. “Haven't I told you to eat healthier?” the nagging I predicted the second Heechul would see me with my precious meal started. “Some fruits and vegetables would do your body good.”

I rolled my eyes. “You would know, wouldn't you?” I snapped back, not entirely aware how that phrase sounded in my room mates ears. Said guy's hands flew to his head. “I do not wish to be exposed to your lewd ual activities,” he announced and scooted a bit farer away. Heechul smirked. “You sure? I heard through the grapevines that you've got a thing for you childhood friend.”

I found myself the centre of Ryeowook's angry glare. “Kyuhyun!” he groaned. “Why are you spreading nonsense? I've told you numerous times it ain't like that between Siwon and me.”

Before I could open my mouth and defend myself of the thrown accusations (which were true, genius, remember?) a gasping Henry bolted through the hall and stopped in front of me. “Gegenim!” he exclaimed and was hushed by the ones sitting nearby. Ducking his head in embarrassment but no downed excitement my worshipper repeated the newly created word, a mix of the Chinese 'gege' and the Korean 'hyungnim'. Wasn't Henry a smart cinnamon roll? “What is it, Henry?” I asked gently. Need to provide the boy with goods so he wouldn't be falsely deceived.

“Gegenim, you're amazing!”

“Oh, thank you?” Not sure where that came from all of a sudden. Didn't complain though. It was always good to know someone appreciated just my existence. Heechul once said it was hard enough to give himself the attention and love he deserved. How was he supposed to put me in his schedule? Excuses over excuses. “I never knew you excel in dance, gegenim.”

“Oh, well. I have many talents,” I replied smugly. My brain caught up with the praise a tad later. Wait, what? Excel in dance? I remember me being mediocre as to not ruin the musical. Junho in particular was satisfied with himself in turning me from an ugly duckling into an almost beautiful swan. Well, sorry for not being able to bend my body as I wished and doing gravity defying things I was sure mother nature didn't intend for human beings to ever excel in.

Ryeowook snorted. “Oh, please. You couldn't dance two months ago. It was all thanks to your swimming partner – forgot his name – that you didn't make a fool out of yourself on stage.” I glared at my room mate. Seriously, why did he have to act like an ? “Do I have to remind you it was you who begged me to help out? Behave or I won't be so selfless next time.” Ryeowook flicked me off and focussed on his meal he hadn't touched till now. His own fault if he read too much into Heechul's and my relationship. Speaking of best friend, Heechul studied Henry with utter fascination as if he'd never seen a human being like him. He then turned to me and gave me a thumbs up. “Recruiting followers already? Good job, Kim Kyu.”

“He doesn't recruit anyone,” Ryeowook hissed. “We're not Yakuza.” Ah, yeah. My room mate had not the best opinion about Heechul. Doubled with his stubborn belief we were romantically invested with each other didn't help. I guessed Heechul would be in Ryeowook's bad books for a while. As long as it didn't end in another Diva battle...

“Gegenim.” Ah, right. Henry. I motioned for him to continue. He handed me a red letter. “For you. I saw someone standing in front of your door room so I asked if they needed something from you. The person said to deliver this to you.”

I inspected the letter. It had nothing but my name on it. No hint of who sent it. “Thank you, Henry.” The boy beamed up at me and hoped on the bench. I made to open the letter when I heard Ryeowook gasp. His eyes were round and he'd stopped midway in eating a spoonful of cereal. “Tha-That's-” he stuttered, close to hyperventilating. I shot him a concerned look. Was he allergic to something in the cereals? Did I have to call the nurse? “I can't believe it.” My room mate finally managed to form one sentence. It didn't help me at all though. “You can't believe what?” I probed, half annoyed. I wanted to open the letter. “You've got invited!” Ryeowook exclaimed.

“Invited to what?”

He sent me a disbelieving look. “Don't tell me you have no clue what that red envelope means?” I shook my head. Heechul followed after. Actually, I was surprised he was as clueless as me. Normally he was informed about everything. Maybe his network hasn't been as established yet as it had been back home.

“Whoever receives the pearl red envelope gains immense privileges. Well, a yellow one does it, too. The colours symbolise the two top groups led by the Golden Boys, Bigbang and Unity. If you get a yellow envelope it means you've been acknowledged by Kwon Jiyoung and you'll be part of Bigbang. If it's red Jung Yunho has his eyes on you and you'll be a member of Unity.” I stared down at the envelope, the red screaming danger. If I was invited to Unity... With trembling fingers I opened it and unfolded the letter. It wasn't long but there, in black on white, stood what Ryeowook had said; I was hereby invited to be a member of Unity and may be expected to partake in a practice session two days from now. My eyes were glued to the words. I read them over and over but they never stayed. I felt overwhelmed. Was this a joke? A prank? I felt Heechul's worried gaze on me. Reassuringly I squeezed his knee under the table. I'm alright.

Most of the day I was. I had too much to do to think about the implications that a joining of Unity brought along. An announcement expected me in the office of the headmaster's secretary. To my surprise it was located on the same floor as Mr. Oh's office. Did that mean the headmaster resided here as well? The secretary was polite and while she spoke slowly I had trouble following her as my German wasn't fluent yet. When she noticed my struggle she switched to English and I thanked her with a smile. Long live internationality. The informations she gave me were all about organising stuff and I realised once again how much bureaucracy was involved. German really loved complicated things. It was afternoon when I had time to breathe and the morning's surprise caught up with me again.

“At least I don't have to worry about you falling in love with one of them,” Ryeowook concluded when I was back in our room and my shock about the event that had taken place earlier slowly wore off.

“What's love anyway?” I muttered and rolled my eyes at Ryeowook's prying gaze. That boy never gave up. “Love is nothing but a series of chemical chain reaction inside the brain. It comes all from hormones, lust, attraction, commitment. I don't need that.”

Ryeowook stared at me in disbelief and exclaimed, “You're really the most unromantic person I've ever met!” He shuddered. “Goodness, poor soul who ends up with you.”

I scribbled something on my paper. “I don't need anyone. Besides,” I added with a smirk, “Heechul is always my Plan B.”

My room mate gasped, hand on his chest. “So you are a thing!” He pointed an accusing finger in my direction. Not caring enough to clear up the misunderstanding I only hummed and continued the paper I had to finish this evening. Stupid teacher.

“Who's a thing?” a third voice interrupted my task. I cursed. Why? Why couldn't I do what I had to do without any complications? I was willing to study yet was refrained from it due to insensitive human beings flocked around me. Those who were unwilling had all the peace I desired. Where was the fairness and equality politicians preached? I felt deceived.

“Is this a regular thing?” I addressed the second nuisance in my life. “You appearing in the door step uninvited?”

Jaejoong smirked. “Ah, Kyuhyun. If it weren't for me your life would be way too boring. I'm here to spice it up.”

“I loved my boring life,” I replied and flicked my rubber at him. Of course the raven dodged it. “You can stop throwing spices at me. I was forced to transfer into the arts department cause of a damn red letter.” I used more force than necessary on the pen I wrote with and broke its tip. Lucky me. Nuisance number two hummed in reply and made himself comfortable on my bed. Ryeowook watched him in deep concentration. “You know,” he started and found himself subject to two dark eyes staring at him intently. My room mate gulped. I snickered. “What do I know?” Jaejoong asked playfully and reached for one of my babies. I dared him to let it fall on the ground. Ryeowook shook his head. “Forget it.” He turned to me. “Kyuhyun, you need a break. Let's go out.”

I continued to scribble on my paper. “No time for that. My prof wants this assignment in -” I looked at the clock, ”- fifty minutes. I have to finish in thirty.”

Jaejoong jumped off the bed and leaned over my shoulder to inspect my essay. “Isn't that for a prof in the science dep? Have you forgotten that you're in the arts dep starting tomorrow?”

I groaned. “I didn't. But today I'm still in my old department so let me be so kind and finish this. Also, I want to personally inform her about my switch. She was very kind to me.”

Something pinched my cheeks. “How cute,” Jaejoong cooed and retreated to his former position on my bed. “Then hurry up. I wanna go drinking.”

For the sake of a proper deadpan look I turned in my chair. “What does that have to do with me?”

“You're coming with me.” Talk about being confident.

“This I hear for the first time.”

“Well, now you know. So hurry up.”

“I'm not going.”

“I can provide you with informations regarding Unity.”

The pen halted and I closed my eyes. Damn! “Fine,” I agreed reluctantly and showed him the middle finger without looking up from my paper.

The night had been successful in some way, I concluded the next morning after I woke up with a slight headache. Didn't own a high tolerance. Don't judge me. Ryeowook was already up and with a rushed “have a nice day” sprinted out the room. That boy way always late. A glance at the other's desk explained his reason for today. There was a bottle of vodka and orange juice on display. Seemed Ryeowook decided to make himself more miserable by drinking alone. I almost laughed but it got stuck in my throat when I caught sight of the obnoxious red letter reminding me why I drank so much yesterday. Another change in my ed up life, I analysed dryly. Suddenly the vodka seemed very appealing. I made my way over. Who said one couldn't drink in the morning? I had no classes today due to the transfer. My schedule started tomorrow. As I sipped on my drink an interesting and confusing part of a conversation I hold with Jaejoong yesterday came skipping by. It had been started by my never ending curiosity regarding the tennis court event and the things afterwards.

Say, what's your relationship with Yunho?

What?

You heard me.

We don't have one in any sort. Where is this coming from?

Don't laugh. The way you act whenever you meet is too intimate for you to be strangers.

I don' recall Yunho and me being intimate, Kyuhyun. And don't give me that look. You've watched too many sappy films.

That's Ryeowook's fault! He forces me to watch them with him every weekend. I'm the victim here.

Okay, okay. Calm down, will you? Or do you wanna let everyone hear your secret?

You mean Ryeowook's secret, mister. And isn't that your fourth bottle already?! You'll get into trouble!

Gosh, no need to freak out. I'm friends with the bartender. And I'm careful enough not to be ratted. I do this since I came to this hellhole five years ago!

Tone down your voice. You'll be heard – don't roll you eyes on me. Seriously, are you always this childish when drunk?

Ask your leader.

Huh? I remember you telling me you don't have a relationship in any sort of way.

Tenses, Kyu, tenses. You, as the smartass among us, should read between the lines, shouldn't you?

It's half past eleven at night I'm sorry if I'm not as producing as I am in the day!

You'll get easily riled up when it comes to your intelligence. How cute.

You want to get punched in the face?

Fine, fine. I'll tell you. … I … I used to love him, you know? The others, too. Ah, who am I kidding? I still do. Feelings are a complicated case. No matter how often I tell my heart to stop it keeps going and going. It's tiring for sure. But no matter how often I try to make myself believe it's going to pass … when I see him with the others and act caring and laugh with them, see him just being him, I know it won't pass. Because it's all lies and the truth is way more cruel and hard to accept. God, I miss to be with him, to be with them. ing headmaster. Make sure to stay out of his sight, Kyuhyun. Stay invisible. The moment he reaches with his sharp claws for you the abyss nears. There's no escape.

… You're drunk.

That night sure was a surprise. I only understood half of what Jaejoong said. But one thing I got: he got some deep history with Unity's leader and as it seems with the members as well. The members I belonged to now and the leader that was now my leader. It was strange. I hadn't quite wrapped my mind up over the fact I was part of one of the top groups in this academy. How the hell did that happen? How did I catch their attention? What were my deeds done to receive this pearl red letter with my name on it? I couldn't remember a single one worthy of this spot – except attract or cause trouble. I was pretty much useless unless they wanted to create a choreography that showcased a troublemaker.

And then there was Changmin. I'd pushed the fact far back in my mind that he belonged to the same team I was invited to. Though invited probably wasn't the right word. There was a feeling no one says no to someone who's higher in the hierarchy, especially if that someone was a Golden Boy. Except you had a death wish.

I poured myself another glass of vodka with orange juice and chucked it down in one shot. “Good luck in hell, Cho Kyuhyun,” I toasted to myself. “You'll need it.”

֎֍֎

I needed it sooner than later. It was exactly one day after I received the letter that I found myself cornered outside the library.

“So you're the new starboy?” Satsuki-without-the-chan sneered and shoved me against the lockers. Tell me again why I was weaker than her? Right, because intelligence sadly didn't makes itself known in muscles. “Don't think you're out of reach now just because you're a part of Unity. You need to earn your respect first. And as long as you haven't proven yourself we won't stay still.”

“Aren't you going against Yunho if you lay a hand on me?” I questioned, recalling the time Jaejoong said something similar at the first encounter with the Golden Boy's fan club. Regret washed over me at the sight of sinister smile I caught on her face. “What he doesn't know won't bother him.” Can't argue with that logic. “Not to mention he was kinda forced in taken you in,” the captain added. “The traitor dared to act up again.“ She spit out. My eyes grew wide. Jaejoong? He was the reason I was in the group? What the ! First the transfer, then the switch and now this? I got the feeling I turned more and more into the other's plaything whenever he was bored. He would hear from me. I wouldn't allow anymore interfering. Well, priorities first, Kyuhyun, I told myself when the malicious face of Yunho's fanclub captain filled my vision. “Come on, new starboy. Let's have some fun, shall we?” I've got a bad feeling. A very bad feeling. Unfortunately no saviour today. I cursed Jaejoong for being out of town (whatever that means) and Ryeowook's teacher for giving him extra lessons due his outstanding performance, wished hell upon the girl who believed in boys her greatest enemies except her undying love for Jung Yunho and imagined myself as a revenge angel slicing her in a heroic strike. All that ran through my mind as my head met with the oh so wonderful clean water residing in the toilet bowl. How cliché was? Honestly, this happened in American high school films, not in a renowned talent academy where people were supposed to be sophisticated and concentrate about nothing but their goal. Or maybe that was the problem. Focussed so much on reaching the top they reached for extreme measures to assure their win in case there was a threat. Apparently I was such a threat for Yunho's fanclub. Still didn't get their purpose though. Was it just a hobby or did they intend to make a living out of leaching on the Golden Boy's body like a dog and snarl and bite at whoever dared to cross the line between stranger and friends? Mysteries over mysteries. This mental hospital was full of it.

“Have enough?” Satsuki-wthout-the-chan mocked, giving me more than a second to gasp for air. I spit out some water that managed to intrude and glared at her. She wouldn't see me bow down. Her grip in my hair turned painful and with more force than before my head was dunked in the bowl. I clenched my eyes shut and counted to ten. The maniac waited exactly ten seconds to bring me back up. This time though nothing happened. Panic flooded my brain when I reached twenty. I wasn't prepared! Desperately I pushed against the weight holding me down but I was too weak. My hands hit the floor in a pathetic attempt to make them stop. My lungs started to burn and if it weren't for the water tears would've ran down my cheeks. Was I going to die? I couldn't die, didn't wanna die. My screams were mulled by the liquid and I chocked on the water. Not much longer and my body would give up. My mind was determined to fight but it couldn't possibly grow a pair of legs and run away, could it? It'd make things easier considering I didn't have to think anymore and create all kinds of scenarios how my death would be delivered to my family and friends. My mother would cry for sure. She'd be wailing for a week, refuse to eat and mourning me. My sister would probably be in a state of shock, clutching at the ridiculous thread it was a bad dream. My father... I couldn't imagine how he'd react. He was currently out of the country, wasn't he? It wouldn't reach him as fast. Would he cry, would he be calm? I had no clue and strangely didn't care. In the last years we drifted apart. I loved him, he was my father after all but his existence wasn't important to me. No, the one I loved the most was Heechul. It was easy to picture him throwing havoc as soon as he hears about my pathetic death. And I was certain it wouldn't take him long to figure out who was the culprit and hunt Satsuki-without-the-chan down and show no mercy. He'd probably land in jail. That couldn't happen. Heechul had to live a nice life after all the in his past. I couldn't let him fall back to his old ways, no way. I had to... my thoughts grew heavy. It was so hard to think with no oxygen supporting your brain. I became light-headed. Ah, so that's how someone feels who has been suffocated. Just when I thought it wasn't as bad as I believed something lifted me up. Seconds later a burn nastier than the one Satsuki-without-the-chan put me through ran down my nose, throat and travelled till my lungs. I gasped, hands on my neck, trying to stop the horrible feeling. It hurt. Tears sprang to my eyes and ran down my cheeks. Was this the last step to death? , if it was I rather have a bullet rip my brain apart.

“Kyuhyun?” A slap. Damn, my cheek, too? Was it not enough that my insides burned? “Hey, Kyuhyun. You hear me? Kyuhyun!” Another slap. Okay, that was not nice. Abusing a dying soul? No manners. I cracked an eye open which cost a great deal of strength and stared up at a somehow familiar face. Short blond hair, a cap and brown fierce eyes. “Can you hear me?” I considered to just ignore this person. She was clearly the one who used my vulnerable state to her advantage. Cruel humans. But then I remembered my grandfather telling me it was rude to ignore people. So I decided to pass the petty behaviour and be the mannered person I was. I nodded. That action alone made me feel dizzy. Guess I wasn't dead yet. I doubted I'd feel this way if I had left the living realm. After all, the universe liked to with my life and not my death. “Do you recognize me?” the short blond person asked and this time I opened my other eyes as well. Gradually my sight improved. I stared intently at my abuser. Slowly, very slowly my brain connected the different impressions and created an information I could work with. “Amber,” I rasped and winced. Gosh, it hurt like to use my voice. Not to mention I sounded horrible. Relief flashed over Amber's face. It definitely was strange. Till now she either scowled at me (still crossed about Henry's and my forest incident) or judged my whole existence. Must be jealousy cause her brother appreciate the genius. “I'll take you to the nurse. Do you think you can stand?” My brain took a while to decipher the words and make sense of them. Can you blame me? I nearly died. Don't expect to me in top form minutes after my rebirth. My arms trembled when I pushed myself up in a sitting position. A new wave of dizziness attacked me. This was worse than the one time I got the flu. Still, I couldn't appear weak in front of Amber. Later on she'd tease me for the rest of my life. With a swift motion I stood up and almost doubled over if not for Amber keeping me steady. “Careful, buddy,” she scolded me and put my arm over her shoulder and slung another arm around my waist. “Tell me if it becomes too much,” she said and I nodded meekly. This was embarrassing. Nevertheless I let her lead the way outside, mind focused on putting one feet at a time and not the fact my head was swimming and nausea hit me with every step I took. It was a miracle I made it down the stairs without doubling over. Amber did a good job of half-carrying me, eyes flitting over my face for any sign of collapsing. By the time the nurse office came into view I breathed heavily which didn't help the burn in my throat and sweat pearled on my skin. My legs felt like jelly and I feared to lose the last bit of strength. “We're almost there,” Amber encouraged me. I gave an affirmative grunt and we continued our quest. The closer we came to our destination the harder it became to keep on walking. Black dots sprinkled my vision, there seemed to be ten kilo weights attached to my feet and I was certain I didn't breath in air but fire judging by the increasing burn in my lungs. Therefore it wasn't much of a surprise when my knees buckled a few feet away from the nurse office and I fell forward. I heard Amber call my name and felt her grip on me tighten. Guess she was the reason I didn't smash my face on the ground. I couldn't thank her though as a darkness that had bothered me the whole way took over. The last thing I saw was a white coat appearing at my peripheral. Ah, at least the torturous quest hadn't been fruitless.

֎֍֎

Unity ran through some moves in the choreography that were tricky when Jihun burst into the room. He looked like he had run a marathon. Yunho halted in his movements. “Something wrong?” he asked while his mind already ran through possible scenarios that caused Jihun to forget his usual composedness. His second-in-command didn't reply instantly and Yunho felt an eyebrow twitch. He wasn't in a good mood. Today was supposed to be their newest addition first practice but he hadn't shown up. Yunho hated tardiness and acted accordingly. Each of s experienced a pissed off Yunho once and had made sure to never become a victim to his crankiness again. It wasn't pretty. “Remember our new member?” Jihun finally said, hands on his legs to support his body. “I would if he'd actually showed up,” Yunho drawled. Jason shifted uncomfortable on his feet. Junsu, being used to Yunho's dark mood nonchalantly plopped down and leaned back on his hands. “Calm down, Yunho,” he spoke up, tone light. “There must be a reason why he hadn't shown up. Maybe he's scared. He's a kid after all.”

At the mention of kid Jason's eyes sparkled. “Does that mean I won't be the youngest anymore?” he asked excitedly. It was funny how he acted all cocky and cool around others but in the confines of their space he forgot his usual demeanour and let his oppressed nature come through. Junsu grinned. “Seems like it if I remember his file correctly.”

Yunho raised an eyebrow. “There's a file?” he pressed, hearing of that for the first time. The other main dancer rolled his eyes. “There's a file of everybody, even you, Yunho. Don't tell me you never knew of their existence.” Yunho shook his head. Junsu breathed through his nose loudly. “Wow, would've thought after all those years you'd be familiar with the whole system.” Slightly offended Yunho narrowed his eyes at his friend. Junsu smiled innocently at him. “I asked the lady at the registration office about his file and looked it through.”

“How did you get your fingers on it?” Changmin asked curiously, dropping the bottle which content he'd emptied and reached for another one. Junsu winked at him. “I have my ways. It helps when she's a fan of us, too.”

Changmin snorted. “So you just used our name to your advantage.”

Junsu flicked him off. “Whatever. It's interesting, to say the least.”

“What's his name?” Jason questioned.

“Cho Kyuhyun.”

Changmin stilled in his movements. “Kyuhyun?” he repeated and gazed over to Yunho. “Why didn't you say the new member is my puppy?”

“Puppy?” Jason looked dumbfounded. “Why would you call him puppy?”

Changmin grinned felinely. “Cause he looks and acts like one. Now it'll be even more fun.”

“I heard he's friends with 2PM's Junho... and Jaejoong,” Junsu added with a pointed glance at their leader. Yunho pointedly ignored him. Not today.

Jihun cleared his throat. “Now that you all know his name I like to tell you the reason why he hasn't shown up.” Suddenly four pairs of eyes stared him down. Cursing his role as the bad news bringer he continued, “Apparently he had collapsed on his way to the nurse office.”

“Collapsed?” Junsu scrambled to his feet. He looked worried. “What happened?”

Jihun shrugged his shoulders. “I can only tell you what I heard. There was a girl by his side, she looked pretty worried. He's currently in the nurse office. No ones allowed to visit.”

Movement to his right caught Yunho's attention. Changmin had chucked his water bottle to the side and made his way over to Jihun. His whole body was tense. “Which one?” he asked. Jihun gave him a confused look. “Nurse office,” Changmin clarified through pressed lips. “Which one?”

“This building, second floor. But as I said-”

He was cut off as Changmin shoved past him and sprinted down the corridor. Yunho wasted no time. He knew the younger one's behaviour. If he didn't intervene he'd make a scene. Unity's reputation would be at risk. “Stay here,”he ordered to the other three who looked flabbergasted. No wonder. Changmin wasn't one to act irrationally like this. Especially not regarding a stranger. Though if he believed hidden facts... according to Jaejoong they were at least acquainted. When he received three nods he ran after their visual hoping he wasn't that far yet. Yunho was faster but a man who acted on rash emotions was unpredictable. And unpredictable Changmin was. In all the years he'd watched him Yunho caught glimpses of what the other was capable of if his logical mind didn't hold back. He never intervened. Till now nothing had affected Unity so he let the other reign his own life. Just here and there did he direct the younger in order to prevent too much backlash even for a steeled mind like Changmin's. As he almost suspected Yunho caught up with Changmin when the other had already stepped inside. Surprisingly no demand what he was doing here came from the nurse. Instead Yunho found his group member standing still at the only occupied bed, the nurse in her office, separated by a firm wall. Relieved for the time being Yunho stepped inside and sat at the nearest bed. Changmin was too deep in thoughts to have noticed his presence so Yunho resided to being a observer. After all, he had a promise to keep.

“You really know how to upset me,” Changmin mumbled and brought Yunho's focus back. He noticed the twitching hands and tensed shoulders. His very unpredictable group member was holding back. With what or why wasn't clear. “You tempt me to...,” he trailed off, eyes fixed on the sleeping male's face. His body moved forward. Yunho's instincts reacted faster than his mind. He jumped of the bed and grabbed Changmin by the arm. “Don't,” he ordered. The younger looked at him, eyes hard and jaw firm. Stubbornness. “Let me go,” Changmin growled and yanked at his confined arm. Yunho shook his head. “I don't know what's going on,” he admitted, “but this boy needs rest and what I know is that you won't give it to him.”

Changmin narrowed his eyes. “What's that supposed to mean?” he replied, voice strained. It was a sign for whoever he spoke to had to be careful with their wording. ”That means for our next competition everyone needs to be in top shape, so let Kyuhyun recover first. You'll be able to speak to him soon enough. Not to mention the nurse will throw a fit if she finds out her patient doesn't get enough rest. Then we'll have a problem.”

Dark eyes searched his face for any hint of a coy trap but couldn't find one. A huff escaped defined lips. “Fine.” With a face void of any expression Yunho moved his head to the entrance. Changmin understood immediately and made to leave the room. At the entrance he hesitated and asked, “aren't you coming?”

Yunho glanced at the boy lying in the bed. “I'll come soon. Need to discuss the nurse when he'll be released so I can schedule his training.”

Accepting his explanation Changmin left, his steps growing fainter with every ticking sound the clock on the opposite wall made. When he was absolutely sure Changmin didn't lured around he grabbed a nearby chair and seated himself close to the bed. “You can stop pretending to be asleep,” he said softly and watched in hidden amusement how the boy's eyes flew open and a look of shocked surprise took over his face. “How'd you know?” Kyuhyun asked, curiosity dripping from his question. Yunho gestured to his balled hands. “They turned into fists after Changmin started to speak.”

“You're observant,” Kyuhyun commented and slowly pushed himself up. He winced and touched his head. Yunho believed to hear some colourful curses and decided to overhear it. The boy look bad as he was. He could lecture him later on. There were more important matters to discuss. “What happened? I'm sure you were informed to attend Unity's evening practice.”

Kyuhyun visible tensed, the bit of colour drained from his face. He lowered his head and nervously played with his fingers. “Nothing,” he whispered. “Just didn't feel well.”

A plain lie. So obvious it was laughable.

“Having to be carried by someone else and collapsing a few feet away the nurse office doesn't sound like nothing to me.”

Angry eyes stared at him. “Well, my body isn't the strongest!” Kyuhyun replied heatedly. Yunho recognised defence mechanism when he saw them. “As far as I know you were in the library studying before coming here. The library is in the adjoining building and also has a nurse office.”

Kyuhyun flinched but didn't back down. “Are you a stalker now? Just because I'm part of your group now – I'm gonna strangle Jaejoong for that – doesn't mean you can act as you wish!”

Hotheaded. The boy was a troublemaker. Hopefully he didn't cause trouble for their group. Yunho pinched his nose bridge. He could feel a migraine coming. Damn Jaejoong and his manipulative ways. He might help the boy with his intention on strangling the raven.

“I'm your leader,” Yunho replied in a non-nonsense tone. It shut anyone up. “I expect respect and give it in return. I give advice but listen to some as well. And I protect my members. You would make it a lot easier for me if you speak honest.”

The normal reaction was a submissive attitude or at least an apology. Kyuhyun apparently didn't belong to 'normal'. “Protect me?” he flared up, the anger simmering around him. ”Every time you were near my I ran into trouble! Your damn fanclub gives me hell albeit I didn't do anything! How about telling them off and leaving me alone? That's the best protection you can offer for me!” His voice cracked at the end and he breathed heavenly yet flatly. Flashes of pain washed over his face. Yunho identified these symptoms immediately. The boy had been subjected to a lack of air over some time. “What did they do?”

Kyuhyun curled in himself. “I don't wanna talk about it,” he mumbled, turned away. Yunho's heart ached at the agonising sight. He was reminded of his sister who'd acted the same way when he found out she had been bullied due her shy nature. Guess he had to directly speak with his fanclub. He never bothered with them except at times when they came up to him for a picture or autograph. He kindly gave them what they asked for. Never did he imagine them to go for those around him. A familiar voice mocked him in his head. You're wary about everyone but naïve when it comes to yourself. How true.

“I understand. I'll let you rest. If you're fit enough come to the practice tomorrow. We have a competition in one month and a half. It's important you can keep up with us or we don't need to show up.” He wished the boy a good recovery and saw himself out, mind pondering on how to keep Kyuhyun safe. If Jaejoong got wind off this he wasn't sure if he lived long enough to defend himself. Not that he would. Indirectly he was at fault. Seems he had to use his title as a Golden Boy after that time. He balled his into fists inside the jeans pocket as unpleasant memories tried to break on the surface. How he hated to be owner of the title Golden Boy sometimes.

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Now it's offical. Kyuhyun will join Unity! Poor him, his struggles never end. It'll be interesting to see how Changmin and he will interact in front of the others. None of the members have a clue of Changmin's "obsession" over Kyuhyun. Also, Kyu's and Jae's relationship will shift and Yunho's and Kyu's will slowly built. Our genius gonna have trouble coping with the bullying. It'll turn more and more tense^^ I also don't know if everybody is familiar with the term starboy. It is similar to casanova, but more degrading. Kyuhyun being called like that gives a hint about the way he'll be treated, especially when Changmin tries his advances.

See ya,

Skurril