(131128 (Th) A/N cont.: Because I couldn't end thiings on such a depressing note, here's.....another update. lol)

Part of this was intially inspired by a SMTOWN LA fanacc, which gives you an idea of how long ago I had actually written this  >_>

The roars were deafening. Forty-thousand screaming fans, mostly girls, frantically waved their blue light-sticks or held hand-made signs, their individual distinctions lost in the anonymity of the crowd. A few had brought cameras and were excitedly filming, ignoring the stares of their peers. Only one girl looked faintly annoyed.

“Ugh, I can’t watch,” she complained to Yui, who winced and secretly agreed.

“It’s almost over,” she said, glancing back at the stage. On cue, Ryeowook finished up his last note: “I got the moo-oo-oo-ooves like Jagger…” As the keyboard player hit his last notes, Kouichi sighed in relief.

“Finally. If he had dragged that on any longer, I might’ve been forced to kill those female dancers.”  

“Control your yakuza instincts, please,” Yui said mildly, and then she frowned as the crowd went crazy yet again. Kyuhyun had entered the stage for his solo. “How do these fans stand it? My ears are ringing from all their excessive shouting…”

 “If I stay here much longer, I’ll probably go deaf,” Kouichi groaned. She stood up. “Excuse me for a sec.”

“Where are you going?”

“Bathroom,” Kouichi mouthed, as Kyuhyun started singing and the nearby fans drowned out her actual words.

Yui contemplated joining her, but then as the fans quieted down, Kyuhyun’s voice reached her ears.

“Oh, her eyes, her eyes make the stars look like they’re not shinin’; her hair, her hair falls perfectly without her tryin’…”

Her eyes widened. Was that Kyuhyun? Was this the Super Junior member who usually lounged around in a t-shirt and sweats back in the dorms, playing video games whenever he had the chance, and putting on make-up only when he had to go outside, really the same person? She had become accustomed to watching him casually banter with his band-mates in the privacy of their living room, or studiously trying to perfect his accent of the nuances of her native tongue. But the man standing before her onstage today could not have been any more different. She had forgotten that the person she tutored was not a mere student, but a professional singer.

“She’s so beautiful, and I tell her everyday…”

Faced with a face void of blemish and an English song rehearsed to perfection, the feelings of the singer’s fanatic fans suddenly seemed not so unreasonable. Even the girls around her had fallen silent, though a few were still screaming or giggling. There was a rustle, and she felt someone touch her arm.

“Excuse me, miss, but we need you to follow us. Right now.” Yui glanced over in alarm, and as the translator started speaking, she quickly cut him off.

“What’s going on?”

“You’re going to be sung to. Quick, you have to follow us to the front wing of the stage.”

“…what?” She wasn’t sure she heard right. Nearby, some fans had apparently started another screaming contest.

“Come with us to the stage,” the man wearing a “Producer” tag insisted. “Quick, while it’s still dark.” As he began pulling her to the front, Yui stopped resisting and followed him. While everyone focused on Kyuhyun as he continued walking towards the center wing, the Producer hurriedly pulled Yui onto the stage and sat her on a chair, from where she looked over and faced the crowd.

“No matter what, you mustn’t look behind you,” he warned her as he disappeared into the darkness. “And you cannot touch him!”

Yui’s last coherent thought before the spotlight illuminated her in front of forty-thousand was that Kouichi was going to freak when she came back from the bathroom.

There is something innately terrifying about appearing before a large crowd. Though Yui had had her fair share of fights and minor scuffles with shady people who dealt with the darker side of the law, sitting in a chair in front of a stadium of an idol’s frenzied fan-girls somehow felt much scarier.

The atmosphere and attention under the bright lights was affecting her mind. She was seriously considering jumping off the stage and running away when she noticed another spotlight approaching hers. And with it, a familiar voice now surprisingly close to her, singing—

“When I see your face, there’s nothing a thing that I would change…”

The Producer’s orders cleanly forgotten, she whirled her head before she could stop herself: There Kyuhyun was, standing right next to her. The fan-girls’ screams had reached a new intensity, but Yui’s mind suddenly went blank.

 “Cause you’re amazing, just the way you are…”

He reached out to grasp her hand, and she unwittingly gave it. His hands were surprisingly warm and soft, and Yui found herself unexpectedly flushing. When was the last time she had used hand lotion?

He was staring directly into her eyes. “And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while—” What had been her last thought again? Something about hand lotion?

But wait, hadn’t the Producer told her not to touch him? Her muscles stiffened.  He seemed to sense her anxiety and pulled her hand even closer, giving it a squeeze. How was it possible to send such a reassuring smile while singing in front of such a large crowd?

“‘Cause girl, you’re amazing, just the way you are.”

He held eye contact the whole time he sang. Yui’s breath was caught in .

The intensity of his gaze was more powerful than anything she had ever felt before, and she blushed, looking away. Not that it helped too much, as it resulted in her staring at a giant screen filled with her face, and his.

 “The way you are

The way you are

Girl, you’re amazing

Just the way you are.”

He kept squeezing her hand and smiling so widely. Yui’s mind was unequivocally and utterly blank. The combination of the foreign situation and complete attention of thousands left her mind completely unable to cope; her thoughts had been left behind with her abandoned seat somewhere in the VIP section. At that very moment, she wasn’t even sure she could’ve recalled her last name had she been asked to.

And then he got down on one knee.

“When I see your face, there’s not a thing that I would change. ‘Cause girl, you’re amazing, just the way you are.”

Yui gasped before she could stop herself. Her heart jumped all the way to . Never had her heart felt like this before. So full.

So vulnerable.

He gave another squeeze, and a new sensation started filling her nerves. A strange calmness, a genuine happiness: feelings that weren’t hers. Her eyes met his again, and this time, she noticed his smile.

He was truly happy, she realized. He truly enjoyed singing. Here, kneeling in front of her, was a person whose life also revolved around his profession, but unlike her, he found true pleasure in what he did. Something in her heart stirred—was it longing?

Kyuhyun stood up, and some reawakened part of her mind realized that the song was coming to a close. Her mind still whirling from the influx of foreign emotion and not knowing what else to do, she gave his hand a return squeeze.

Thank you. For what, she wasn’t sure.

‘Cause girl, you’re amazing, just the way you are.”

Without warning, he finished the song and suddenly drew her into a heart-stopping hug. Yui gasped again in surprise. Her normal instincts to raise her arms in a defensive position had been deadened; had she reacted this slowly in a fight, she most certainly would have already been shot. But now, unexpectedly, she found her arms circling his torso in return, and before her brain had time to contemplate her actions, she was already resting her head lightly against his shoulders. Her senses took in everything—the soft folds of his suit, the warmth of his body, the clean smell of his cologne. When had been the last time she felt so warm in the arms of another?

He chuckled slightly into her shoulder, his head resting against hers. His breath tickled her neck, and as the lights and the stage went dark, she found herself slumping in relief. Her nerves were shot from an overload of dormant emotion.

He stayed there onstage, holding her another second or two longer, and then finally let go. Before Yui had time collect herself, he took her right hand and firmly held the grip, while his other hand gently supported her arm. Leading her to the side of the stage towards the stairs, he let go and ran down first, and then turned around and waited. After she reached the foot of the stairs, he smiled and reached for her hand again, giving it another really tight squeeze.

“How was it?”

Laughing a bit at her confounded expression, he tugged on her hand and headed in the direction of the backstage. While he was ducking under the curtains, a security guard stopped him and pointed at Yui, who instantly understood the gesture. Kyuhyun then looked back and squeezed her hand again, giving her one last smile and nod.

“I’ll see you later, yeah?”

With the Producer pulling at her free hand, Kyuhyun finally let go of the other. His eyes met hers one more time, and he mouthed something to her. But then the security guards and other crew members pushed him behind the curtains, and with the Producer impatiently tugging her back to her seat, Yui had no more time to absorb her final memories before she realized that it was over.

The rest of the concert was a blur. Yui’s three minutes onstage had turned her into an instant mini-celebrity, and fans whom weren’t focused on Super Junior kept begging her for photographs and details and a moment-by-moment playback account and more. Kouichi, who did none of the above, launched into a long tirade about how-dare-that-guy-touch-my-sister and ooh-he’s-gonna-get-it and who-does-he-think-he-is?!, but soon afterward switched to telling fans to shut up when it became clear Yui was in no position to do it herself.

Too soon, it seemed, the concert was over. After the conclusion of a magnificent water show—during which Yui noted several members targeting Kyuhyun with their hoses—the members shouted their thanks and shed their tears, and as one by one they left the stage, the audience rose in waves to wish them good-bye.

As people started rustling and making their way towards the exits, excitedly chattering about various highlights of the concert, Yui and Kouichi got stopped by some reporters with cameras.

“Young miss! You were the one that went onstage during one of the solo performances, right? Can you please give us your thoughts?”

After briefly answering a few questions, Yui and Kouichi headed over to the backstage. The tickets Kyuhyun had given them the night before included special access to the backstage, and as the twins milled around the bustling camera and crew members, Kouichi paused, tugging on Yui’s sleeve.

“Hey, look over there. Have you ever seen so much food in your life?”

Yui walked over. Stacked against the wall were boxes and boxes of packed bento boxes and rich wine. She glanced at one of the attached cards. “Sakai Hiroyuki? No way!”

“Way,” Kouichi breathed, picking up one of the bento boxes and it in awe. “It’s French cuisine. His specialty.” 

“This is…really fancy stuff.” Yui felt her stomach growl. When had been the last time they had eaten a proper meal?

“Wonder when Sakai-san became a Super Junior fan,” Kouichi mused. Yui noted she was also eyeing the bento boxes rather hungrily.

“Let’s take it to them,” she suggested, as one of the security now approached.

“Excuse me, but non-staff are not allowed to touch these gifts from fans,” he started, but Kouichi quickly brushed him off. “We’re staff. We’re their Japanese language teachers. Ask anybody.”

“Yui-sshi! Kouichi-sshi! There you are!” Donghae called, appearing from one of the dressing rooms. “The members have been looking for you.”

“You sure the members are?” Kouichi asked pointedly. “Or just one member in particular?”

Yui blinked and blushed as Donghae and Kouichi exchanged a smirk. “Nah, I mean all the members. We’re going out to eat, so we were wondering if you’d like to join us. Since the concerts are finally over, the whole staff was planning to celebrate.” Then his eyes fell on the food. “Whoa.”

“You guys have some really dedicated fans,” Yui said, eagerly seizing the opportunity to change the topic. “There’s enough food here to feed an army.”

“So can we eat this instead?” Kouichi asked eagerly. “I’m kind of hungry now.”

Donghae whistled. “This is fancy stuff! Is it even from around here?”

“It was sent by Sakai Hiroyuki-san himself,” Yui explained. “He’s one of Japan’s most famous chefs. He specializes in French cuisine.”

“Actually, it was sent from a fan of his,” Kouichi said, peering at the tag. “Apparently someone loves you guys enough to specially order from his restaurant and then cater it all here. It looks freshly made, too.”

“We’re talking thousands of Japanese yen, then,” Yui breathed.

“Hundreds of thousands,” Kouichi corrected. Then she grinned at Donghae. “So can we eat this instead?”

“I suppose we’ll have plenty of opportunities to eat out later,” Donghae mused, eyeing the food with newfound admiration.

Kouichi cheered. “Dinnertime!”

“Wait till we get back to the dorms first,” Donghae laughed, as Sungmin now came out. “Hyung, food delivery! Help us carry it, won’t you?”

Back in the dorms, Yui eyed the door anxiously as around her, people bustled left and right in and out of the living room. She was fairly certain that the combination of Super Junior and their complete staff created a ruckus loud enough to be heard on three floors. Any moment now authorities were going to come knocking on their door.

“Shouldn’t we…try to keep this down?” she shouted to her sister.

Next to her, Kouichi turned around. “Sorry, I couldn’t hear. What did you say?”

“I mean—this!” Yui ran towards the center of the room, where a mini drinking party had somehow ensued. “Guys, you haven’t even eaten dinner yet! Don’t drink so soon!” She glanced back. “Kouichi, a little help here?”

Kouichi wasn’t where Yui had left her. Yui blinked. Then someone bumped into her and she stumbled. Kouichi mouthed a hurried apology as she pushed past, with Yesung following close behind. The latter was waving a can of what Yui recognized to be Japanese beer.

“Come on Kouichi-sensei, you enjoyed it last time!”

“GAH! Get it away from me!” Kouichi yelled, pushing past more people. “I did NOT enjoy it last time! Beer tastes nasty!”

“Actually, you probably hadn’t tried this brand yet,” Kyuhyun quipped, appearing from the crowd. “But I agree. Wine tastes a lot better.”

“I can’t tell if you’re on my side or not,” Kouichi muttered.

“Uh,” Yui said, blinking rapidly, “I have to go.” As she walked away, she heard Kyuhyun commenting to Yesung, “Hyung, you don’t even like to drink. So why are you pressuring Kouichi-sshi?”

“Because it’s fun to ,” Yesung replied. “I learned this from Leeteuk-hyung.”

As Yui hurried away, she ran into Henry.

“Hey, hey. What’s the rush?” he asked, grinning.

“Henry-sshi,” Yui said in surprise. She still wasn’t used to seeing him around Super Junior. Then she remembered. “Ah, wait, you’re not Korean—”

“And neither are you,” he laughed, still speaking in Korean. “So what’s your story? How come you know so many languages?”

“You can say we traveled a lot when we were younger,” Yui smiled. “What about you? You seem to know quite a few languages, yourself.”

Henry matched her grin. “You can say I traveled a lot, too.”

Somehow, talking to him seemed to have a calming effect on Yui. She found herself relaxing again as Leeteuk now stood up and tried to get everyone’s attention.

“Guys!” he hollered. He then waited until everybody finally quieted down. “Great job today, everybody. We have now finished the second city of our world tour!” He waited until the cheers and clapping had died down. “While our next Super Show 4 performance isn’t for another two months, let’s remember our fans and continue working hard! In all that we do, let’s combine our efforts and show them a better side of Super Junior. But for now,” here he grinned and held up a bento box, as everybody broke into applause all over again, “let’s celebrate tonight with some good food! Everybody, dinnertime!”

There was a collective “chal meoksumnida” as everybody opened their bento boxes and began to dig in.

“How is it?” Yui asked Henry as he began stuffing his face. “You seem hungry.”

“You have no idea,” Henry explained between mouthfuls of food, “how little some of us eat before a big concert. I mean I’m only in a few songs, so for me, the pressure isn’t so bad. But for some of the regular members, they have absolutely no appetite until after they leave the stage. Nerves, you know?”

Yui gave a rueful laugh. “I definitely understand.” Her stomach churned a bit as she thought of the concert from earlier. But a small voice inside her head murmured that that probably wasn’t the only reason for the sudden nausea.

As Henry started another conversation with someone else, Yui put down her chopsticks and stared blankly at the space in front of her. Exactly what had happened back there? From the moment the PD called her onstage till the moment she stepped off—no, it was even after that, she realized—her mind had been uncomfortably and uncharacteristically void of critical thought. Everything she had ever learned about staying away from the spotlight or of separating her emotions from her work went straight out of her mind, and for three minutes she had stayed onstage, a happy fangirl with a probably—she winced—stupid expression on her face.

Kyuhyun was her friend, wasn’t he? Just a friend. The image of his winning smile as he took her hand onstage caused her stomach to lurch, and she groaned, leaning over and rubbing her eyes. He was just a friend.

Because there was no way she would ever let him be more than that.

Clink!

Had she dropped her chopsticks? She opened her eyes again. Everybody around her was still talking and eating.  But as she reached over to pick up the fallen utensils, her eyes widened and she gasped.

“Donghae-sshi?!”