Kyuhyun snuck a peek, the sound of a slap permeating even through the closed opaque glass doors. He winced, biting his cheek to prevent himself from having another outburst and causing further damage to the situation. Taking deep breaths, he sat down, burrowing his face in his palms. Frustration radiated off him in waves, making it a certainty no one would want to disturb him while he waited.

It should be him inside the office, should be him getting reprimanded… But no, he was the precious maknae, the better vocalist, the more loved idol—they couldn’t and wouldn’t break him for this. For them, he was too indispensable, but Ryeowook wasn’t. They never hesitated or regretted choosing to hurt him in favor of the others. He was always in the background anyways, and Sungmin could cover for his parts without having much of a difference in the outcome.

Kyuhyun pulled on his hair, not caring if the stylists would scold him later. He could get away with it anyway; the company had always been lenient towards him for boosting Super Junior’s popularity in “U” and especially more so after the accident. The younger stylists were also ridiculously enamored with him, blushing whenever they had to fix his clothes. If he had his way, only Ryeowook would touch him, but with what was going on right now, it was evident they thought Ryeowook had no right to.

He barely heard the doors open, but it was only Yesung, going inside the office. Yesung gave him an apologetic smile, awkward at best. His presence barely reassured Kyuhyun that Ryeowook would now be safe, because although the hyungs tried their best to protect the younger ones, they could not go against the management. They probably could have, had they passed the five-year mark that signified the stability of the group, but that was still a year in the making. They had no choice but to smile and take everything without complaint.

He punched the couch, a futile way to release his stress. He didn’t have to wait long though, soon enough, Yesung was escorting Ryeowook out, his right hand put lightly on the younger’s waist. Yesung closed the door quietly, emotionlessly. He made no move to steer Ryeowook into his boyfriend’s direction, instead, letting the other direct the way. Yesung gave him a pitiful glance, knowing Kyuhyun would take the news hard.

Ryeowook refused to look at Kyuhyun, muffling his sobs as he went towards the elevator. His schedule for the day had been canceled, owing to the fact that the marks on him could hardly be concealed. The slap mark on his left cheek was now a glowing red, the bruise on his forehead where he hit the corner of the chair was still bleeding lightly, and the grip marks on his wrist were still swollen. Yesung’s schedule was also canceled; he was tasked to keep the two from talking for the next few days, and failure on his part would result to punishment on all three of them.

The elevator ride was bleak, neither of them speaking or moving from their position. The dim, flickering light and the darkly-paneled walls did not help easing the mood either, although it helped conceal his injuries when others—including Kyuhyun—came in the elevator. They continued the silence until the dorm, where Leeteuk was anxiously waiting for them.

“What happened?” Leeteuk caressed the bruise on Ryeowook’s face, eyebrows creasing in worry. He barely heard Yesung murmur something about picking Ryeowook up in the SME building before Yesung slammed the door shut on him. He watched carefully for both males’ expressions, on Ryeowook's defeated eyes, and Yesung's frustrated frown.

Ryeowook simply ignored him, choosing to go vent his anger on the kitchen. It seemed they would be having a feast tonight, although they could not be assured of how it would taste. He had a habit of making things spicier when he was mad.

Kyuhyun had followed them home, just coming in when he had gathered himself enough to be able to face the leader. The managers refused to talk to him, shooing him away when he tried to enter after Ryeowook left. He now waited for Yesung's explanation, seeing as he was called in just for that.

“He… SM wanted us… They want KyuWook… to be…” Yesung hesitated, closing his eyes and breathing in to stifle his nerves. “They want it to be… YeWook instead…” He looked at Kyuhyun pained expression before continuing. “They say that’s more popular with the fans, so… Kyuhyun, I don’t want this any more than you do, I swear… Ryeowook’s only my dongsaeng, like you… I didn’t…”

“It’s okay, hyung.” Kyuhyun bit out, his fists turning pale. He walked to his room, slamming the door shut. Soon enough, muffled sobs were seeping out of the room. He only ever cried like this when no one else was around, mostly when only Ryeowook and Sungmin were there, seeing as they were closest to him. He fell asleep like this, not even waking up to Ryeowook gently calling him to dinner.

WAAAAAAAY overdue.. I'm so sorry!! A little too much? Yeah, don't hesitate to tell me it ... X.x Thank you to all subscribers and readers! I love you, you !! ♥

Happy KyuWook anniversary! (and my first year as an ELF! and I got my SFS album thanks to CloudsPh!)

And wonderful SiHae in Manila!! (Seeing their faces as only one-inch, getting squished and all... STILL... Super Junior makes my day perfect!) @.@ Dazzled by the little bits of SiHae's smiles...