Author’s POV

“So you do have feelings for him.” Kyuhyun said, he didn’t expect his guess to be the true.

Sungmin picked up the pieces of porcelain and dropped it into the dustbin, holding back his tears. Kyuhyun forgot all about his anger and argument when he saw Sungmin expression. He felt nothing but empathy for the man before him because he knew exactly how it feels to lose a loved one.

“Sungmin...” Kyuhyun called softly.

Sungmin gripped hard on the rag cloth he was holding. Tears started to flow out. He hated appearing weak in front of people and he felt especially feeble now more than ever. He felt Kyuhyun touch his shoulder, making him turn around. Kyuhyun wasn’t the best comforter but he knew that even the tiniest soothing would take a bit of Sungmin’s pain away.

He held on to Sungmin while he silently cried his sorrow away.

****

Sungmin’s POV

I cried my eyes out on his shoulder. I didn’t know what got into me. Maybe because he was the first one to notice my feelings towards Ryeowook. No one knew. How could i tell anyone?

I realized i’ve cried enough and if i continued to stay in the kitchen, Yesung hyung and Ryeowook will find for me. I pulled back and wiped my tear off, sniffing.

Kyuhyun eyes me with concern, another new side of him. This guy is full of surprises.

“Sorry about that.” I said pointing at the wet mark on his shirt.

He took a look at it too and shook his head, “Not a problem. Are you feeling better?”

I realized he wasn’t familiar with such situation. I doubt that anyone has cried on shoulders before.

“Yeah, i’m good. Thank you. Thank you so much.” I said, brewing the coffee.

“Okay, i’ll be at living room then. They might come finding for us if we stay here too long.” He said.

I nodded, “I’ll be right there.”

****

Ryeowook’s POV

“So, Sungmin hyung, how’s the pre-school going on? Are they still naughty?” i asked, sipping the coffee.

“Yeah, they are naughtier actually. Kids nowadays mature too fast for their own good. You should listen to them speak. Sometimes it feels like a nightmare.”

“I miss teaching there.” I said.

I love the way Sungmin hyung’s eyes sparkle when he speaks about kids. He loved them dearly and i do too. That’s how we met; we both worked in the same pre-school. Actually Sungmin was there before i came and we became friends instantly.

“So you guys worked in the same place?” Kyuhyun asked, after keeping quiet for a long time.

“Yes, we did for 2 years. That’s how I and Yesung hyung met. His nephew used to study there and somehow along the way, things just perfectly fell into place.” I said hugging Yesung hyung’s waist.

****

Kyuhyun’s POV

Not so perfectly i suppose, i thought, when i saw Sungmin smile bitterly. I could see how broken he was. How could he still smile when he’s completely shattered?

“Okay, we are going out for dinner. Will see you tomorrow.” i suppose “Yesung hyung announced, getting onto his feet.

“Okay.” Sungmin said and could sense his relieve.

I shook hand with Ryeowook and told him to drop by again, out of courtesy of course. If it was up to me i would rather not have him around. I am not being mean but it isn’t easy seeing Sungmin in the condition he is now.

I watched the love birds leave and Sungmin’s coming back to his normal self. He turned to me and gave a gratified smile. “Thank you for today.” He said, wiping his palms on his pants.

“Anytime.” I replied, dropping on the couch. “We can talk about it if you want.” He still had bits of unhappiness left in his eyes and i wanted it to go away. Why? I don’t know. When did i turn into this sweet listener you ask? No idea. How am i going to make him feel better? Not a clue. I just wanted him to know that he’s not alone. I had no idea this part of me still existed.

He settled down beside me and breathed in. “I don’t blame them. Wookie had no idea about it. It’s impossible for him to know isn’t it? I was too afraid to tell him and he fell in love with Yesung hyung and before i realize, it was all too late.”

****

Sungmin’s POV

I saw him listen to my ‘tragic love story’ and laughed at myself. Can i be more pathetic?

“I am sorry i dragged you into this.” I said shyly.

“Hey, you meddle in my problem all the time. This is my chance.” He replied with a playful smile. “Plus, i am not always this nice you know. You should take advantage when i am.”

“Yeah, i’ve seen how mean you can get. I hated you. I still sort of do.” i joked.

“Yah!” Kyuhyun said, throwing a cushion at me. “Are you testing your luck?”

I laughed at his reaction. “But really, thank you. And i am sorry about the thing i said earlier. I understand you don’t want people to poke and pry into your life. Sorry and i promise i won’t bring it up again.”

“I’ve got to admit. It wasn’t very nice of Sunny to go behind my back and let you in my secret but knowing her she must’ve been in a really tight situation. She wouldn’t have done it otherwise. I’ll talk to her and clear it up. Don’t worry about it.”

“Really? That’s all? You’re not going to flip and yell at me or something.” I asked, looking puzzled.

“I told you. I’m in the mood of being nice at the moment.” He answered. “And maybe one day i’ll tell you what really happened but until then please don’t ask me anything.”

I nodded in agreement. “Okay, got it. Does this mean that we are sort of friends now?”

He thought for a while before bobbing his head. “Yeah, i guess you can call it that.”

“In that case, we should start over.” I said, standing up. “Hello, i am Sungmin.” I said extending my hand.

He laughed at me with raised eyebrows. “Seriously?”

“Come on.” I said. “I want us to start over. Don’t spoil it for me.”

“Fine.” He said taking my hand. “Hey, i am Kyuhyun. Nice to meet you.”

“Hope we can be good friends.” i replied with a satisfactory grin.