It all started with a stupid dare.

 

"I dare you to say 'I love you, will you go out with me' to the first person who walks into this room!"

 

Really, shouldn't he suppose to be smarter than this?

 

"Ha, you called that a dare? Watch me!"

 

And why the hell did that person have to be Cho Kyuhyun, the most popular guy among the sophomore?

 

"Cho Kyuhyun, I love you, will you go out with me?"

 

AND WHY THE HELL DID CHO KYUHYUN SAY YES TO THAT.

 

"Sure, why not?"

 

****************************************

 

Jongwoon looked at the man in front of him with his mouth hanging open. It was just a dare he got from Hyukjae and Donghae. They were playing truth or dare while they waited for other students and their professor to come. He supposed to confess to the first person walking into the room, and that person supposed to brush it off as a joke. However, he didn't expect that person to be Cho Kyuhyun, the most popular guy among their year, nor did he expect Cho Kyuhyun to actually say yes. That was how he found himself in this ridiculous situation.

 

"Did you just say yes?"

"Yes, by the way, who are you again?"

"You don't even know who I'm but you agree to go on a date with me!?"

"I have my own reason for that. So, who are you?"

"...Kim Jongwoon, second year, Business faculty,"

"Nice to meet you Jongwoon, I'm Cho Kyuhyun, a sophomore in Mathematics faculty, but you know about that already, right? Because you are the one who confessed to me."

"That..."

 

Jongwoon hesitated. Should he tell the truth to Cho Kyuhyun? That his confession wasn't real, but it was a dare from his friends? He turned to look at Hyukjae and Donghae, the culprits who put him in this situation. Both men made a hand gesture signaling him to tell Cho Kyuhyun the truth. Jongwoon smiled. Although his friends always , deep down they did love and care for him. That's why they didn't want him to get in trouble. He had made up his mind, he would tell the truth. Jongwoon turned back and was about to tell Cho Kyuhyun just that. However, Cho Kyuhyun interrupted him.

 

"When will your class end for today?"

"Huh? Around four in the afternoon, why?"

"Mine is four-thirty. You can wait for me at the cafeteria. After that, I'll take you to someplace nice. See you, Jongwoon,"

"Huh? Hey! Wait a sec!"

 

Jongwoon wanted to go after Cho Kyuhyun and cleared their misunderstanding, but the professor had already arrived. He had no choice but went back to his seat where Hyukjae and Donghae were waiting.

 

*********************************************************************

 

After his class ended, Jongwoon went to the cafeteria and waited for Cho Kyuhyun. Donghae and Hyukjae insisted that they would accompany him but he turned their offer down. He didn't want to make things between him and Cho Kyuhyun anymore awkward. Jongwoon surfed around the internet as he waited for Cho Kyuhyun. On exactly four-thirty, Jongwoon put his phone down as he saw Cho Kyuhyun walking into the cafeteria. He got up from his seat and walked to the other man. Cho Kyuhyun saw him and smiled happily. He didn't even greet Jongwoon as he naturally took Jongwoon's hand and dragged him out of the university. No matter how much Jongwoon tried to pry, Cho Kyuhyun wouldn't tell him where they were going. He could only go with the flow and followed after his (not) boyfriend.

The place where Cho Kyuhyun took him to was a small cafe hidden deeper in an alley. The shop's interior design was a mix of Korean and Chinese style, with many cute decorations scattering around the place. The walls were painted in a red color that almost faded away. There were only four tables in the shop and he followed after his companion to sit at the one by a window. The cozy atmosphere of the shop welcomed him and Jongwoon gladly accepted it. On their table was a small bowl filled with fortune cookies. He looked at a counter and saw an elderly woman who smiled warmly at them. Cho Kyuhyun asked what he wanted to drink and took their orders to the elderly woman. Jongwoon momentarily forgot his objective as he was distracted by the new environment. He chatted with Cho Kyuhyun as they waited for their drinks.

 

"This place is nice. Are you a regular here, Cho-"

"You can call me by my name. We're dating now anyway."

"Alright, are you a regular here, Kyuhyun?"

"Yes, I accidentally found it during the first year and I've visited here ever since. Also, this place is the reason why I accepted your confession despite I don't even know who you are. Here, take one of this."

 

Kyuhyun pointed at the fortune cookies bowl. Jongwoon obediently took one and cracked it open. Inside the treat was a small paper folded in half.

 

"What does it say?" Kyuhyun asked.

"A beginning of something that lasts a lifetime, how does it relate to me asking you out?" Jongwoon was puzzled.

"You see, I really believe in stuff like fortune-telling and whatnots. On my first day coming here, I got a message that I'll lose something very important, and I did lose my wallet that day. After that, I've always relied on these fortune cookies to make a decision. This morning, I got a message that I'll meet my soulmate today, then you confessed to me. I know from the bottom of my heart that the fortune cookies are never wrong. That's why I agreed to go out with you." Kyuhyun explained and smiled softly at Jongwoon.

 

 

Ridiculous.

That was the only thing Jongwoon could think of after listening to that. He knew many people who liked and believed in fortune-telling, even his mother liked to read a daily horoscope in a newspaper. However, he had never met someone who took it to an extreme step like the man sitting in front of him now. Really, who agreed to date a stranger just because a fortune cookie told him so? He should hurry and tell Kyuhyun the truth. It was as clear as day that being with Kyuhyun would bring nothing but a headache to him. Jongwoon steeled his nerve and prepared himself to tell the truth. However...

 

"Jongwoon, you got cream on your cheek, let me wipe it off for you."

"Are you cold? Do you want my jacket?"

"You can order more if you aren't full yet. I'll pay for everything, or we could split a bill if it bothers you."

"Jongwoon, your hand is so small and cute, you don't mind if I hold it for a bit longer, right?"

 

Damn, why was Kyuhyun so smooth? Jongwoon tried so many times to bring up the fact that his confession was only a dare, but chickened out every single time. He just couldn't bring himself to say that, not when Kyuhyun was so obviously happy and looked at him with those sparkling eyes.

 

 

Next time, I would definitely tell him next time.

 

Jongwoon made a promise to himself as he agreed to go see a movie with Kyuhyun this weekend.

 

****************************************************************************

 

Before long, one year had passed. Both Jongwoon and Kyuhyun had become a junior, but they still dated each other. Although he did say that he would tell Kyuhyun the truth, in the end, he didn't say it. Jongwoon admitted and berated himself at the same time for not having the courage to tell Kyuhyun the truth. It wasn't entirely his fault though. Why did Kyuhyun have to look so happy every time they met? How was he supposed to tell the truth to that bright-smile Kyuhyun?

After their fifth dates and Jongwoon still couldn't bring himself to tell the truth, he simply gave up. Instead, he hoped that Kyuhyun would come to his senses and broke up on his own. Kyuhyun was very popular. Many women (and sometimes men) confessed to him all the time. To his surprise, Kyuhyun was very committed to him and politely turned down every confession he got. Jongwoon didn't know whether he should laugh or cry at that. After half a year had passed but neither he nor Kyuhyun made a move to break up, Jongwoon just accepted his fate as it was. Well, being Kyuhyun's boyfriend was actually nice. Kyuhyun was very kind-hearted, mature, and considerate. He had never taken advantage of their relationship. They had been together for a year now but they hadn't gone further than a hug. Kyuhyun kindly told him that he was willing to wait until Jongwoon was ready to take another step forward in their relationship, which he gratefully appreciated.

Jongwoon and Kyuhyun got along well too. Sometimes he even felt like they were meant to be together (not that he would tell anyone about it). His friends and family took their relationship well and wished them the best. In fact, Kyuhyun quickly became his mother's favorite and easily gained his father's approval. Even Donghae and Hyukjae who opposed their relationship at first had become a good friend with Kyuhyun only after three months. The three of them always joined hands to about his clumsiness (though Kyuhyun occasionally sided with him if he felt like it). On the other hand, Kyuhyun's family also liked him and treated him like their son. Kyuhyun's sister was fond of him and her twin children loved him. Everything was so perfect that Jongwoon didn't mind staying like this for the rest of his life.

 

But nothing lasted forever, and Jongwoon was about to learn that soon.

 

 

It was an ordinary Sunday. Jongwoon went to the elderly woman's cafe with Kyuhyun as usual. They sat at their usual table and ordered the same menus. As usual, Kyuhyun took a fortune cookie and cracked it open to read his daily fortune-telling. However, Kyuhyun's serene expression slowly changed into a frown the more he read the message. Feeling worried for his boyfriend, Jongwoon held Kyuhyun's hand and carefully asked what did the message say.

 

"It said, a simple lie can collapse the entire foundation, but what lie did it talk about...?"

 

Jongwoon's heart immediately dropped to the ground.

 

This wasn't the first time Kyuhyun got a negative message. Kyuhyun got a bad luck message once in a while, something like minor accidents and whatnots. However, this was the first time the message was about his lie. Jongwoon felt so comfortable being in a relationship with Kyuhyun that the hideous truth slipped out of his mind, that his confession was based on a stupid dare from his friends. Looking as Kyuhyun's genuine confused expression only made him felt more guilty. Kyuhyun didn't suspect him, not at all. He trusted and believed in Jongwoon wholeheartedly. And what did he do to repay that kindness? Deceiving? Jongwoon felt like he was the lowest scum living on earth. After considering it for a while, Jongwoon decided to tell Kyuhyun the truth.

 

"Kyu, I have something very important to tell you."

"Huh? What's it? Why did you look so serious all of sudden? ...Is it relate to the fortune-telling I just got?"

"...Yes, do you still remember the day I confessed to you? Actually, I didn't love you, it was all just a dare I got from Hyukjae and Donghae to confess to whoever arrived first at the class, and you happened to be that person..."

"..."

"I did try to tell you about it, really, but you were so happy about it that I didn't have the heart to bring it up to you..."

"Jongwoonie..."

"But! You must trust me on this Kyu! It's true that our relationship started with a lie. However, as I got to know you more and spent more time with you, I eventually came to love it, whatever we have. I enjoy being with you so much that I forget about it. I didn't mean to deceive you or something! It's just... Yeah, that's that..."

"................................"

 

Kyuhyun didn't say anything even after Jongwoon finished his confession for a while. He waited silently for the judgment to come. After ten more awkward minutes passed, Kyuhyun finally spoke up, his expression unreadable.

 

"Well, that's a bummer."

"So... Now what? Do you want to break up with me...? I mean, that's totally understandable..."

 

Jongwoon said despite his bleeding heart. Right, totally understandable, and he was mature enough to accept that. Right, he would accept it no matter what Kyuhyun's decision was. Jongwoon waited patiently for Kyuhyun to say something, to do something, maybe shouting or throwing stuff at him. However, he didn't expect Kyuhyun to reach his hand to the fortune cookies bowl.

 

"Wait, Kyuhyun, don't tell me you are going to use a fortune cookie to decide the outcome?"

"Why not? It's never been wrong after all."

"I know, but... Wait, wait, wait! Don't tell me that the reason why you stay with me this long because the fortune cookie didn't tell you to break up with me?"

"Yeah, why?"

 

To say that Jongwoon was furious would still be an understatement. He knew just how much Kyuhyun believed in fortune-telling, but, to use it to decide whether they should break up or not? Really? Then again, this was a man who agreed to go out with a stranger just because a fortune cookie told him so. Maybe he shouldn't be surprised about it? While he understood that, it didn't mean that he wouldn't be upset. Jongwoon began to wonder whether Kyuhyun really loved him, or did he just blindly follow the fortune-telling? If that was the case, then...

 

Jongwoon stopped Kyuhyun's hands that had already cracked the cookie and was about to open the fortune paper.

 

"You know what? I don't think you have to look at that anymore."

"What? Why?"

"Because I'm not about to let a cookie control my life. Kyuhyun, let break up, sorry for lying to you and wasting your time."

"!!?"

 

Jongwoon stood up and headed to the door. Although he did say let break up, deep down he still liked Kyuhyun so much that he would immediately forgive him, if only Kyuhyun stopped him from leaving.

 

But Kyuhyun didn't stop him.

 

So, with a bitter smile on his face, Jongwoon left the cafe without looking back.

 

********************************************************

 

It had been one week after the breakup. He only told the truth to Donghae and Hyukjae since they were his partners in crime. As for his parents, he only told them that they broke up, nothing more. Soon, the news quickly spread around the college that they no longer dated each other, and more people queued up to confess to Kyuhyun but he turned everyone down. Many people suspected that Kyuhyun still hadn't gotten over Jongwoon, but only Jongwoon himself (and his friends) knew that Kyuhyun probably hadn't gotten a 'Start Anew' fortune yet. They had become very awkward with each other. They might break up but they still studied in the same university, so it was normal to run into each other. Every time that happened, Jongwoon refused to make eyes contact with Kyuhyun and just walked past him, while Donghae and Hyukjae openly sneering at Kyuhyun. Sadly, although he did give Kyuhyun the cold shoulder, his heart still ached whenever they simply walked past each other as if they were a stranger.

 

But, they did become a stranger now, didn't they?

 

Jongwoon scoffed at himself. No, he should have focused on his assignment rather than thinking of what he couldn't have. Jongwoon shook his head and turned his attention back to his laptop. At the same time, he wondered where the Eunhae duo went to. Why did they take so long just to buy some snacks? The convenient store wasn't far away from their faculty building, so they should have come back by now. Ha, he bet that they were messing around, probably gossipping about him too. Jongwoon smiled fondly as he thought about his annoying but irreplaceable friends of him. He was reminiscing about how the three of them first met when someone suddenly sat down on a seat opposite of him. Jongwoon looked up from his laptop and his heart immediately skipped a beat even though it shouldn't.

 

Kyuhyun.

 

Jongwoon didn't want to give himself another heartache, so he quickly packed his stuff and threw his bag over his shoulder. He stood up and walked off, but Kyuhyun stopped him. Jongwoon frowned as he tried to shake Kyuhyun's hand off his arm but it wouldn't budge.

 

"Kyuhyun, let me go,"

"Please, Jongwoon, five minutes, I only ask for five minutes of your time..."

 

Kyuhyun looked so desperate that Jongwoon's resolve immediately melted.

 

"...Fine, but only five minutes,"

"Jongwoon... Thank you! Here, I only want to give you this."

 

Kyuhyun took out a lunchbox and placed it down in front of him. Jongwoon opened the lid and found a bunch of fortune cookies inside. He looked at Kyuhyun and frowned. Kyuhyun nodded his head at the cookies and smiled nervously at him. Jongwoon hesitated for a second, before randomly picking one piece up and cracking it open.

 

"Will you forgive me?"

 

Puzzled, Jongwoon picked up another one.

 

"I'm sorry."

 

Another one.

 

"I miss you."

 

And another one.

 

"I feel lonely without you."

 

And another one.

 

"I want to hold your hand again."

 

And another one.

 

"Your smile brightens my day."

 

And another one.

 

"My heart skips a beat every time I hear you sing."

 

And another one. And another one. And another one. And another one. And another one.

 

 

Jongwoon didn't even realize that five minutes had long passed. He was lost reading messages after messages inside the fortune cookies. Before long, there was only one fortune cookie left, the one at the bottom of the box. Jongwoon picked it up and cracked it open, his expectation soaring high up. There were many kinds of messages inside the cookies, begging for forgiveness, telling what he liked about Jongwoon, telling how much he missed Jongwoon, etc. However, there was one message left that Jongwoon had yet to see, the one he wanted to see the most.

 

Jongwoon cracked it open.

But there was nothing inside.

 

Confused, Jongwoon looked up at Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun coughed and smiled nervously. Then, he carefully reached out to take Jongwoon's hands. Seeing that Jongwoon made no move to push him away, Kyuhyun gained more confident and held Jongwoon's hands more firmly before speaking up.

 

"That day, when you walked away with your back at me, it was the first time in my life that I felt fortune-telling was irrelevant. I don't care what that fortune cookie would tell me. Even if it told me to break up with you, I still want to do nothing but hold you in my arms. However... Deep down I'm still such a coward who believes in fortune-telling. I mean, it's never been wrong once about my fortune so I was scared. What if it told me that we weren't meant to be? That's why I didn't stop you on that day. And trust me, I still regret it to this day.

On the following day, when it fully hit me that you were no longer with me, that was when I began to question myself. What is more important to me? The fortune-telling or you? And I got the answer on that day, you. After I got my answer, I wanted to go straight to you and apologized, but I felt like it wasn't sincere enough. You really mean so much to me and I want to show you that. Then, I remembered what you told me on that day, that you wouldn't let a cookie control your life. I wanted to show you that I won't let a fortune cookie control my life too, that I'll make my own fortune. That's why I asked Ajumma at the cafe to teach me how to bake cookies..."

 

A realization hit Jongwoon. He looked at a pile of cracked-open fortune cookies between them and looked back at Kyuhyun.

 

"You... You bake them?"

"Yes,"

"And the messages?"

"I write all of them with my own hand, you know, to show you that I make my own fortune..."

"What about the empty one?"

"That," Kyuhyun coughed, "The meaning of that message is too important to be put on a paper, so..."

 

Kyuhyun looked straight into Jongwoon's eyes.

 

"I love you Jongwoon. The times I spend with you are the best times of my life. I, unfortunately, got to experience how it feels to live without you and I don't want to experience it again. So, will you come back to me?"

 

 

As soon as Kyuhyun said it, the word that Jongwoon wanted to hear the most, he immediately forgave Kyuhyun even before he finished his sentence. Jongwoon smiled happily, tears forming in his eyes. His voice began to crack as he answered.

 

"Yes, yes I'll! I love you too Kyuhyun. Thank you for not giving up on me."

"Thank you for not giving up on me too, Jongwoon. And don't cry! We should smile!"

 

Jongwoon chuckled softly as he let Kyuhyun gently traced his slender finger along his eye to wipe a tear. That was when he noticed that Kyuhyun had a bruise on both sides of his lips.

 

"Kyu, your lips are bruised, what happened? "

"Who else if it isn't your fish guardian and monkey guardian?"

"What!? Donghae and Hyukjae did this to you!? But why?"

"I ran into them while I was looking for you. When I told them that I wanted to make up with you, they got very angry and punched me. They only told me where you are after I swore again and again that I won't hurt your feeling ever again."

 

He knew that he shouldn't laugh, but the way Kyuhyun pouted at him was so cute that Jongwoon couldn't help it. He laughed heartily which made his boyfriend pouted more. Eventually, Kyuhyun got angry and turned away from him. He stopped laughing but a bright smile was still on his lips. Donghae and Hyukjae once again proved that they really cared for him despite their nonstop teasing.

 

"Come on Kyu, they are just worried about me."

"I'm not angry at them, I'm angry at you."

"Aww, I'm sorry! How about I kiss your pain away?"

 

Jongwoon tried so hard not to laugh when Kyuhyun turned his head back so fast he almost snapped his neck. His boyfriend overly enthusiasm attitude was just too cute! He giggled as Kyuhyun eagerly nodded with a huge grin on his face. Then, he slowly leaned to Kyuhyun. With utmost care, he placed his lips on the corner of Kyuhyun's lips and moved along the shape of his boyfriend's lips to kiss the other bruise. To be honest, their kiss was very short it could barely pass as a kiss. Still, it was their first kiss and the sign of their make up so it was still special to them. After he pulled away, Jongwoon burst out laughing when he saw Kyuhyun staring at him with a dreamy gaze and intoxicate look, which immediately woke Kyuhyun from his trance. Kyuhyun quickly whined about their too short kiss and how it wasn't enough.

 

"Be patient Kyu, once your bruises are all healed we can kiss as much as we want."

"Really? You promise?"

"I do,"

"Then I'll stop for now. Tsk, if only those twos didn't punch me..."

 

Jongwoon chuckled as he watched Kyuhyun sulking like a kid. As he reached out to take his boyfriend's hand, his hand brushed past a pile of opened fortune cookies.

 

"That reminds me, what are we gonna do about these cookies?"

 

****************************************************

 

"Welcome... Oh, it's you two! I'm glad to see that everything turns out well for you."

 

The elderly woman said as she saw two familiar faces walking into the shop. The brown hair man greeted her, his eyes and his smile were livelier than the last time she met him; when he asked her to teach how to bake cookies. The black hair man smiled apologetically at her as if to apologize for making her worry about them. They sat down at their usual table by a window and made the same orders. She quickly prepared it and brought it to their table. The brown hair man then picked up the fortune cookies bowl and handed it to her.

 

"Ajumma, sorry, but we won't have fortune cookies from now on. Can you bring us something else?"

"Of course dear, does a muffin sound good?"

 

After receiving a nod from both men, she took a fortune cookies bowl back to the counter. As she placed it on the counter, her eyes caught on a small and neatly fold-in-half paper near a register machine.

 

"Oh, that right, dears, I still keep the fortune paper, the one you didn't open that day. Do you want to read it?"

 

Almost immediately, both men smiled and shook their heads.

 

"No, we no longer need it. You can throw it away." 

 

The black hair man said and turned to smile at the brown hair man who smiled back.

 

She nodded and picked up the paper. Before throwing it away, she opened it and read the message one last time. Then, she smiled happily and looked at them with a warm gaze, before throwing it in a trash bin under the counter.

 

 

 

"Happy Together"