CHAPTER FOUR

Victoria let herself into Siwon´s apartment later that day and got Junjae settled down with some crayons and paper before going in search of Siwon. Naturally, she found him in his studio. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of a little stool where Kyuhyun had put his most recent night-time blue, as Kyuhyun liked to call them.

He was doing nothing but looking at it with an intent, almost piercing, stare.

“That blue is particularly close to your favorite color.”

Siwon jumped a bit before turning to Vic and muttering, “Huh?”

“The blue. Of the pot. It´s close to the blue of your favorite color. He keeps trying…I think he´s getting closer.”

“Closer to what?”

“The blue of your favorite color, .”

“.”

“.”

Siwon laughed.

“Why is it you can call me a , but if I call you one, you kick me in the ing balls?”

“Because the word ’ is degrading, you ing .”

“That´s what I thought.”

“Stop trying to distract me from my blue conversation.”

“I´m not sure I was a willing partner in this blue conversation of yours.”

“Maybe not, but I´m going to make you one.”

“Make me willing?”

“Yes.”

“Go for it, then.”

“You should all put out, like you have anything better to do, when you were basically just sitting here in the near-dark spanking it to one of Kyuhyun´s pots.”

“I wish I had that on tape because you know he´d put you saying ‘spanking it’ on a loop and play it repeatedly.”

“Whatever. The point of my conversation is not what would entertain Kyuhyun´s feeble mind but what you´re going to do about the fact that you sit by yourself and stare at things that remind you of him.”

“I do not sit by myself and stare!”

“Then what are you doing right now?”

“Doing my breathing exercises so I don´t go out there and kill your child.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“Okay.”

“Between you and Kyuhyun, I´m in a stupid sandwich."

“If you were between me and Kyuhyun, you´d be in .”

“Well, that could be fun, too, but I have a mission here, and it´s not breaking into …although, don´t you think Kyuhyun would be perfect in a ? He could make a lot of money.”

Siwon scowled at her. Vic raised an eyebrow and starting walking around nonchalantly picking up things and settings them down as she began talking again.

“Seriously, he´s gorgeous, and the gays love the pretty boys. I bet he´s pretty bendy, too, with that long lean body. Yep, I bet he´s bendy. And the mouth on him, I bet he can with the best of them. I mean, he talks dirty in everyday conversation…could you imagine him in the bedroom? me. Oh, and those legs, those are perfect and long and could wrap around you and pull you down and…mmm, yeah, perfect for . I´ll have to ask Joon his opinions, you know, since he´s sampled the goods. And repeatedly, from what Kyuhyun has told me.”

Siwon´s eyes took on a dark look at the mention of Joon. He got up from where he was sitting on the floor and tried walking away from Vic as he threw over his shoulder sarcastically.

“Well, if Flip says…what else does Flip say? I´d really love to ing hear every minute little detail. I can´t get enough of how Flip moons about Joon to you. I´m at the ing edge of my ing seat.”

“I think he´s in love with him.”

Siwon her instantly and practically yelled, “He´s not!”

“How do you know he´s not?

“He´s not.” – Siwon growled.

“Yes, but how do you know Joon´s not in love with Kyuhyun?”

“Joon? Joon…I thought you meant Kyuhyun.”

“Yeah, I know that´s who you thought I meant – Vic said – And do you want to know how I know you thought that!”

Siwon turned away from her again to fiddle with a camera.

“Because whenever anyone gets within a ten-foot radius of him, you go insane. Any time someone even dares to suggest there´s anyone in his life other than you, you go insane. Any time he´s not within touching distance, you go insane. And any time you think he´s falling away from you, that he´s not there, you go insane. You´ve put your whole life into him…what do you think that means, Siwon? How can you possibly explain that and not make it sound like he´s the axis your world spins on? Because if you can explain him away, and everything you feel for him away, then I´d like you to tell me how you function without a heart.”

“I don´t function without a heart – he said angrily and then added under his breath as he grabbed at the front of his T-shirt – He´s right here.”

“What was that?” – Vic asked as she crept closer.

“I don´t function without a heart.”

“I heard that part.”

“That´s it…that´s all I said.”

“Fine. That´s all you said – Vic said in frustration – I´ll let you believe that´s all you said.”

Siwon watched Vic as she stomped out of his studio, and he began to absently rub at the spot in the center of his chest that suddenly felt as if it were on fire and was slowly caving in on him.

“Momma! Unc Diwon!”

Junjae yelled from the kitchen. Vic was already on her way to the kitchen when she heard Junjae call.

“What is it, honey?”

“Unc Fip´s wants Unc Diwon to come get him in the eletator.” – Junjae said as he pushed himself off his chair and walked the phone over to Vic.

She was about to take the phone out of Junjae´s hand when she heard Kyuhyun yelling through the receiver.

“Mozart! Come and get me!”

Junjae giggled.

“Unc Fip said to hold the phone at Unc Diwon and he yell real loud.”

“Your uncle Flip is a moron, Junjae…remember that.”

Before Vic could grab the phone from her son, he put it back to his ear and said: “Momma says you a moron.”

Vic watched as a smile broke out on Junjae´s face, and then he turned to her and said “Unc Fip says you a vewy bootafull lady and he gonna hug and kiss you when unc Diwon brings him the eletator.”

“Yeah, I bet he said that – Vic grinned as she took the phone from Junjae´s hand – Quit telling my son to lie to his mother.”

Siwon chose this time to shuffle into the kitchen, still rubbing at the center of his chest. Junjae came over and hugged his leg, and Siwon reached down to pat him on the head.

“Is that your uncle Flip on the phone?”

“Yep, you gotta get him in the eletator.”

Siwon smiled at the ‘eletator’.

“Tell him I´m coming.” – he mouthed to Vic as he walked out the door.

“Your hero is coming to get you, ya wuss…No, the elevator cable will not snap halfway up, that was a movie, Kyuhyun. …No, you WON´T GO CRASHING TO THE BOTTOM OF THE ELEVATOR SHAFT WITH Keanu Reeves and Dennis Hopper with an ugly hand. …Trolls do not live in elevator shafts…there´s no such thing as trolls…because I know…. No, there aren´t …I will not ask Junjae if he believes in elevator trolls.”

“Are there eletator tolls, momma?”

Vic sighed.

“Great, now you´ve scared my son.”

Vic listened to Kyuhyun for a second, then turned to Junjae and said “They make cookies, honey. They’re like the cartoons on TV.”

“Oh. Okay.” – Junjae said agreeably to his Unc Fip and went back to his chair to color.

Vic walked out of Junjae´s hearing range.

“Where the do you come up with this ? Elevator trolls that make cookies? Honestly Kyuhyun, I worry about you. …Yeah, I do, you´re seriously insane…I said insane, not in pain, you . I could make you seriously in pain. …No, kicking me first will not help. Isn´t your down there yet to get you? I´m tired of having this conversation, your mind is draining mine of all its smart cells. …Yes, I do have them. …No, you don´t. …He´s there? ing finally! …No… no… no… hang up now, Kyuhyun. …hang up… Yes, I´ll see you in two minutes. …Yes, hang up. …Okay, fine. …Bye. ..hang up!”

Victoria laughed as the hone finally clicked off, courtesy of Siwon and his impatience. She could only imagine how Kyuhyun would chew him out for that on the way up. She walked back over to Junjae to sit down at the table and color with him until the whirling dervish and his sidekick got back up.

“…I was talking to Vic! How many times do I have to say this before you understand? – Kyuhyun´s voice drifted through the door he was pushing open, obviously still chewing Si