April 17, 2016 (Sunday) 

I search and search for Kyuhyun, but all I see are strangers. I wonder whether Ryeowook has found him because it's been more than half an hour. After another minute of scanning through the parking lot, I decided to head to the walkway. My mind flashes to the time when my dad and I saw Ryeowook and Kyuhyun standing at opposite sides of the river. The wind was intense, and petals were showering over them. 

          "I told you!" Sungmin whispered excitedly. 

         "Okay! I believe you, but what does this have to do with me?" 

        "Well, your job is to get them together. The cherry blossoms will be gone soon, so they have a year to fall in love with each other before the next cherry blossom season."

         "Don't you think it is wrong to force someone to love each other?" 

         "No, I'm not making you force them. Think of it as a suggestion. Or a vision." 

         "I don't think I'm gonna tell them about this whole...uh...legend thing...but...maybe if I see they like each other, maybe I can help them to get each other's attention or something." 

       "Yeah! You do that, and then you'll report what you see to me." 

       "What am I? A spy?" 

       "Look, we've got to make sure that Ryeowook and Kyuhyun will be a couple so that they can unlock the charm. That's our mission."  

       "But...Otoosan..." I took a breath before I continue, "I think we should give them time to be closer with each other." 

        Dad looked at me, blankly. "What do you mean?" 

       "I can't just approach them and say 'Hey! You two should fall in love so that you can unlock the magical charm of the cherry blossoms'. Like they're going to believe me. Since we both see that they will be together, let's wait till they fall in love with each other. Naturally. That way, we can tell them about the charm."

      He shook his head. "I don't think to tell them that charm is a good idea." 

      "Why not?" 

       "Because they may not believe it." 

      "Otoosan, you're the one who knows all about it. I think they should know about it so that they can have a clear understanding of what's going on in the park. The charm depends on them, so I think it's best if we tell them when the time is right." 

        He tapped his chin, and he went deep in thought. He nodded in agreement. "You're right, son. We'll go with that." 

       AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!

       My thoughts are immediately cut off by a scream. I look up to see a layer of cherry blossom petals dropping to the bridge. It then explodes like a bomb. Curiosity and fear whirl in my head, because I'm sure that I see a couple of people standing on the bridge. What if the cherry blossoms spread a kind of poison or spell that erases everything from their brains? As I arrive at the bridge, I recognize Kyuhyun by his hair colour. To my surprise, he's hugging Ryeowook like he's protecting him. I feel my feet crushing onto a soft land, and that's when I realize I'm stepping onto a two-feet deep of petals. 

      "What the heck is going on here?' I exclaim. 

       Ryeowook sees me. His eyes widen, and the colour of his face drains all of a sudden. He quickly escapes away from Kyuhyun's arms and runs off. Kyuhyun calls, but he doesn't stop or turn his head back. 

       "Oh...Yesung, you're here," he mumbles. 

       "You better have some explaining to do, buddy." I narrow my eyes. We walk out of Petal Bridge, as I call it for now, and sit by the nearest bench located under a tree. Kyuhyun looks introspectively at the river. I take glances at him, wondering whether he has forgotten that I'm still sitting next to him. 

       "He uh...he found me standing there, and he gave me some excellent advice." 

       "What kind of advice?" 

       "About Thomas Edison and his 1000 steps to success. He said that we all could reach our 1000th step, just like Edison. The way he says it just made me realize that I can't give up just yet. And then, our eyes met. He said my name, and I wanted to say his name too, but I didn't manage to do so. And before I knew it, he kissed me." 

       "He did what?" I exclaim. 

       "He...he kissed me...right on my lips." 

        I try to look as shocked as I can, but I can't hold the happiness inside of me for too long. Otoosan is right after all. Kyuhyun and Ryeowook do like each other! 

      "And I kissed him back." 

      "No way!" 

      "Y...yeah." That's it! I can't hold it in. I gasp, jump up and down while hovering two thumbs up high in the air. Kyuhyun raises both of his eyebrows. 

      "Yesung...what...the heck?" 

      "Oh my gosh! Finally! Finallyfinallyfinallyfinallyfinallyohgoshfinallyyeeeeeeeeesssssssss!" 

      "Whoa whoa calm down, dude!" 

       I take a deep breath and pat on his shoulder. "I'm happy for you." 

      "For what?" 

      "For being in love with Ryeowook." 

      "Y...you knew?" 

      "Yeap!"

      "B...but how? Since when?" 

       I giggle and put my arm around his shoulder. "You've been hanging out with him a lot recently, and I know that lovey-dovey look on your face every time he approaches. So I pretty much figure it out that you're crushing hard on him. Sometimes, I feel like I'll be the third wheel anytime soon." 

       He blinks and looks back at the river. "Am I...that obvious?" 

      "Dude! You smile every time he's around." 

      "Isn't that how friends suppose to do?" 

     "Well, you've been staring at him when he's doing things. You even went to his house. How is it not obvious?" 

     "That doesn't prove anything about me crushing on him." 

     "Oh, really? You still have the origami, do you?" 

      Kyuhyun looks down and kicks dust, pretending to mind his own business. 

      "I knew it. You want to give it back to Ryeowook at the right time. Either you've been too scared that he won't like you after you hang out with him, or you want to surprise him in such a low key cheesy way." 

     "Shut up." he pouts. I laugh.

      "I'm happy that you feel that way." 

     "On what? Liking Ryeowook?" 

     "Duh! You and he look great together! So how come you've never asked him out yet?" 

     "It's just..." Kyuhyun sighs, "he looks...odd." 

     "What do you mean?" 

     "He seems to be confused or scared that he likes me, I guess...I don't know. He seems to be wandering about himself when he's around me or something." 

     "Did you get to talk to him?" 

     "Not really."

     "Then what are you waiting for?" 

      "I don't wanna push him." 

     "He made the first move." 

     "I know! But still..."

     "Kyuhyunnie, you can tell that he looks confused, right? Things won't get better if you keep on waiting for him. Sometimes, people's minds can change if they have someone to spill their words out." 

      Kyuhyun looks at me for a moment before he nods his head slowly. "Okay, I'll talk to him in the morning." 

     "By the way, why did you and Ryeowook got attacked by flowers?" I ask while I point at the bridge. 

      "I have no clue." he shrugs, "I've heard that this park is under a spell. The cherry blossoms must have gone crazy because of the magic." 

     "Magic, huh?" I answer in my most surprised tone. We continue walking back to the parking lot. Kyuhyun offers me a ride home, but we are startled by a honk. I turn my head to see Otoosan waving from the rolled window of his Toyota Corolla. 

     "I'll see you tomorrow, Kyuhyunnie!" I wave. He waves back and gets in his car. 

                                                                            *                                             *                                   *

      During the car ride home, I tell Otoosan what I have seen and what Kyuhyun has told me. When he presses the brake to stop his car behind the bold white line, he looks at me with excitement, glinting in his eyes. "This is wonderful! Kinda chaotic but wonderful!" he says. 

      "What do you mean by that?" I stare back curiously. 

      "They're getting it there." 

      "Huh?" 

      "Ryeowook made the first move, but then he ran away because he realized that he had kissed his best friend. The cherry blossoms must have sensed that he has mixed feelings." 

     "You're jumping to conclusions, Otoosan." I roll my eyes. He lifts his foot off the brake just as the traffic light turns green. 

     "What I'm saying is," he continue, "The cherry blossoms must have reacted to Ryeowook's wavering heart by getting closer to him and Kyuhyun. I have to say that the charm was being naughty because instead of creating a tornado of petals while they supposedly stand on both sides of the river, it cluttered the petals above Kyuhyun and Ryeowook. 

     "That makes sense, I guess." I nod slowly, "So what can we do to help?" 

     "Nothing." he shrugs as he steers the wheel to the right.

      I stare at him in surprise. "What?" 

     "Ryeowook's confused now. He has to think through before he figures out that he has feelings for Kyuhyun." 

     "But how long it's gonna take for him to realize?" 

     "Don't ask me. I'm not a psychic." 

     "But Otoosan, there's gotta be a way to help!" 

     "Whoa! Look at you! All eager and ready to help your friends." 

     "Because I am their friend." 

     "Well, then you'll figure something out!" We arrive home just in time the sun is about to set. "You understand your friends a lot more than I do, so I believe that you can help them in this situation. Gambatte ne!" I watch him getting out of the car. I know that he's right, but I can't think of something to help Ryeowook to sort things out or to make Ryeowook feel happy with Kyuhyun. I lay my head back as I scan through my brain for a solution when suddenly a bell sound rang from my phone. 

      Kyuhyun: I think he h8s me... 

      Me: Y would u think that?

      Kyuhyun: I've called him 3x, but he wouldn't pick up. 

      Me: Maybe he's busy. 

      Kyuhyun: He's probably avoiding me. 

      Me: Give him space, Kyuhyun. We'll talk to him 2moro. 

      Kyuhyun: Ok... 

      I can picture him looking upset behind his phone screen, but I know that he's determined to talk things out with Ryeowook. He has gone out on dates with a few girls, but in the end, he says that none of them are to his liking. When I see him with Ryeowook, it's like his barriers are knocked over. Ever since Ryeowook left Japan, we both missed him a whole lot. As I grew up with Kyuhyun in our teen years, we talked a lot about our memories with Ryeowook. And now that he's back, Kyuhyun has gotten a lot happier and more of his usual self after so many years of numbing his feelings when it comes to making new friends or going out on a date. I encouraged him to make new friends in high school, and he managed to blend with my friends for a bit. But the most smiles I've seen from him is when he's with Ryeowook. 

                                                                         *                                                            *                                               *

April 18, 2016 (Monday)

      My history class ends ten minutes before lunchtime. I spot Kyuhyun pacing nervously down the corridor. As I walk towards him, I notice that the circles under his eyes are darker than usual. 

     "Someone's got up from the wrong side of the bed this morning." I joke. 

     "Not funny, Yesung." he rolls his eyes, "I can't even sleep last night." 

     "Why are you freaking out? You know that I'll help you." 

     "Yeah, but what if he still doesn't want to talk to me?" 

     "Kyuhyunnie, we're best friends. Ryeowookie's our best friend too. I'm sure he'll be willing to talk to you." Kyuhyun leans against the wall. "Speaking of Ryeowookie," I say once I spot him walking towards us. He doesn't look too good, either. There are dark circles around his eyes, and his face isn't as shiny as usual. He probably doesn't bother putting on BB cream to cover his acne scars today. 

     "Ohaiyoo, Ryeowookie!" Kyuhyun smiles. He tries to sound as cheerful as he can. Ryeowook gives a small smile, but his eyes avert to my direction. 

     "Ohaiyoo, Ryeowookie!" I wave, "How are you?" 

     "I'm alright," he mumbles. Kyuhyun keeps on staring at him, but Ryeowook pretends not to notice. 

     "Ryeowookie...can we...uh...talk..for a minute?" he asks. Ryeowook turns to look at the window.  I find myself standing between the two. They don't talk or exchange glances for the past forty seconds. Gosh...this gets awkward! The only noise I hear is the chatters from other students who walk past us. Some give us annoyed looks because we're the only roadblock in this walkway. That's it! I can't deal with this anymore! I gradually slip my arms on Kyuhyun's and Ryeowook's shoulders. They both look at me in surprise. "Let's go for lunch at Momoji again, eh?" 

    "Actually," Kyuhyun excuses, "I have to finish my lab report. Why don't you and Ryeowook go ahead?" I raise my right eyebrow in dismay. He looks at me and whispers, "What?" 

     "Let's go then, Yesungie," Ryeowook says. He grabs my hand and drags me off. I turn back to glance at Kyuhyun. He looks glum, but I acknowledge him with a smile of hope. 

                                                                                      *                                                     *                                          *

      Ryeowook seems to be happy right now, which is a relief. We smear circles of batter onto the big heated pan and flip them with spatulas. He bursts out laughing when I flip a couple of them into splitting halves. Let's say I have sensitive hands. We talk about how my dad sounds like a Bulbasaur when he imitates an old Japanese man in the literature we learned last week. After a few bites of our food, I've decided to bounce into the topic. 

      "So...Kyuhyun has told me all about it." I spill 

       His chopsticks freeze above his plate. He quickly looks at me in shock. "About what?"

      "About you kissing him." 

     "Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Don't say it out loud, you fool!" he hisses. He gets up from his chair and covers my mouth with his hand. He hasn't realized that there's a drop of mayonnaise on his palm. 

     "Ryeowook, it's okay. I know what's going on between you and him." I can tell that he understands every word I muffle in his hand. He releases and slumps back on his seat. 

     "H...how?" 

     "I happen to notice that you two got closer than before recently." I grin, "and I'm happy to see that you two got along so well. You two really are a perfect match." 

    "W...what?" 

    "Ryeowookie, you don't have to freak out. I know that there's something special between you and him." He stares down at his half-eaten okonomiyaki. His cheeks are flushed. I can tell that he doesn't expect me to know. "Why are you embarrassed?" I ask. 

     He sighs before he looks up. "I just...I think falling in love with my best friend is wrong." 

     I look at him funnily. "That's what bothering you?" He nods shyly. I immediately burst out laughing. His eyes widen when my laugh fills the entire restaurant. I'm aware that everyone is now staring at me, but I don't care.

    "Keep it down!" he growls. 

    "Sorry!" I say as I catch my breath. "That's the lamest reason I've ever heard in my whole life!"

    "What do you mean?" 

    "Just because you've fallen in love with your friend, it doesn't mean that you should avoid your feelings!" 

    "But...I'm worried that our friendship won't be the same." 

      I lean forward so that he can hear despite the continuous chatters from other customers. "Ryeowookie, falling in love with someone means that your bond with that person has grown fonder." 

    "Really?" he asks in surprise. 

    "Yeah! You and Kyuhyun can not only be best friends but lovers too! Besides, you and Kyuhyun have great chemistry." 

     He taps his food with his fork lightly as he thinks for a moment. "But..what if we broke up all of a sudden? We won't be friends anymore if we do that." 

     I roll my eyes. "Now you're dramatic." 

    "I just wonder why I suddenly fall in love with my best friend, out of all people in this world?" 

    "I was gonna say it's because of your adult hormones," I chuckle, "but maybe you are meant to fall in love with Kyuhyun." 

    "That doesn't  make any sense." He narrows his eyes. 

    "Oh, come on! Do you think your heart's going to go numb for the rest of your life? Your heart will at least pound when you see someone you're attracted to, right?  Kyuhyun's the one who makes your heart pound! So don't deny that feeling! Just accept it! You are in love with him! And that's okay!"

     A smile slowly creeps on his face. "What about you? Are you okay with it?" 

    "Why wouldn't I? I hate seeing you being awkward around him! After school today, I want to see you running to him and giving him a biiiiiiiiig bear hug! Huh? How about that?" 

     He giggles before he continues eating. He is about to finish his last piece when he adds, "Kyuhyun does care for me a lot. He likes to tease me, but at the same time, he does so to make me feel special. He's the first person I've ever fallen in love with, and I don't want to give up on him." 

     "Well, you know that you should save that when you see Kyuhyun because he's the one who's waiting for you to talk to him. " I advise. 

     "You're right." he smiles, "Thanks, Yesungie." 

Yesung (イェソン)

Note to readers: I hoped to post Chapter 11 by KyuWook's anniversary on August 15, 2017! Hope you'll look forward to it! ;)