A/N: Hi, guys! Here’s the next chapter!

I initially thought that this chapter would just be on the short side. But then, I ended up writing more, putting in more details, and making it longer than what I had expected :P Sorry about that? xD

Also, a warning: there’s another intimate scene in this chapter. Nothing graphic. I kept it mostly as vague as possible, but I thought that I should still give you guys a heads up.

Yesung happily chatted about his day, talking about his students and discussing his plans for their next activities in class. He didn’t notice that his boyfriend was too preoccupied and tensed to listen to him.

Yesung and Siwon were on their way to the Lees’ house. While Yesung was relaxed at the passenger’s seat and chatting away, Siwon was stiff in his seat, his eyes focused too hard on the road and his hands tightly gripping the steering wheel.

“Woonie,” Siwon suddenly said, interrupting Yesung’s chatter.

Yesung paused from talking about his latest lesson plan, and he looked at his boyfriend curiously, puzzled by the tightness in Siwon’s voice. “Yes, Siwonnie?”

“Don’t leave my side at all during dinner, alright?”

That just made Yesung even more confused. “Huh? What do you mean?”

“At the Lees’. Don’t leave my side during dinner. Don’t move away from me at all. Stay beside me at all times, okay?”

“Okayyy…” Yesung said slowly. “But why?”

“Just because,” Siwon responded curtly, keeping his narrowed eyes fixed on the road.

“Siwon, you’re not making any sense…”

Siwon slowly let out a gust of breath, clearing his expression. He glanced at Yesung, his face now much warmer instead of the coldness and stiffness that it previously had. “Well, like I mentioned to you before, I’m not really comfortable around new people… So, I’d appreciate it very much if you don’t leave me during dinner… Never leave me, okay, my Woonie?”

“Ahh,” Yesung nodded, finally understanding. “Of course. I won’t leave your side at all.”

As they parked at the curb in front of the Lees’ house, Yesung noticed that Siwon’s stiffness back. Yesung supposed that Siwon’s nervousness around new people was worse than what he had previously assumed. He thought that it was strange that someone like Siwon, who gave off an aura of confidence and power, was uncomfortable around other people, but Yesung supposed that all people had their own quirks.

“Thanks for doing this for me,” Yesung sincerely expressed his gratefulness to his boyfriend as Siwon turned off the engine. “I appreciate that you agreed to go with me even though you’re not so comfortable around strangers.”

Siwon smiled wanly. “Of course. I need to always be with you, no matter what, Woonie. Nothing can keep me away from you.”

Yesung returned the smile. His heart melted whenever Siwon expressed his strong desire to always be with Yesung. It was nice to be so loved and wanted.

They got out of the car. At the same time, the Lees’ front door opened, and an excited squeal shattered the peacefulness of the neighborhood.

“Jongwoonie!”

Yesung looked around to see his cardiologist zooming toward them. The next thing that he knew, he was getting the air squeezed out of his lungs due to Dr. Lee’s very enthusiastic hug. Just as he was starting to feel faint from the lack of air, he noticed a cute-looking man with a warm smile appear beside them.

“Dear, let your patient breathe, will you?” the man said. “You always talk about how hard you fought to keep him alive—you don’t want to suffocate him now, do you?”

Dr. Lee pouted, but she at least loosened her arms around Yesung. Yesung thankfully inhaled deep breaths again to soothe his straining lungs.

“Sorry,” she said a bit sheepishly. “But can you blame me for being excited? I finally get to see my favorite patient somewhere else besides the hospital. Or that café near it. Now, I don’t have to maintain an air of professionalism so much.”

A drawling voice said, “You never put up much of ‘an air professionalism’ even in the hospital, anyway.”

Kyuhyun was striding out of the Lees’ home, walking toward them.

“Whereas you’re always so formal to your patients,” Dr. Lee snarked back.

“Shouldn’t I be?”

“Your patients are children!”

The other man just shook his head at the two doctors. Then, he smiled at Yesung and Siwon. “Welcome to our home. I’m Lee Sungmin, Sa-eun’s husband. Please just ignore my friend and my wife; they’re always like that. And you’ll have to excuse my wife’s enthusiasm, too, Jongwoon-ssi.”

“Yesung, please,” Yesung said. “And no need for formalities. Call me ‘hyung’.” He knew that he was older than Dr. Lee’s husband.

“Yesung hyung, then,” Sungmin grinned. “Excuse my wife’s enthusiasm, Yesung hyung. Ever since Kyu-ah mentioned to us last week that he also invited you guys, Sa-eun has been talking nonstop about tonight’s dinner.”

As Yesung, Sungmin, and Sa-eun made small talk, Kyuhyun’s focus went to Siwon, who was yet to say a word. Kyuhyun’s eyes narrowed when he noticed that Siwon was looking darkly at Sa-eun. More specifically, at Sa-eun’s arms that were still wrapped around Yesung.

Kyuhyun decided that he needed to intervene.

“How are you, Siwon-ssi?” he asked loudly, getting Siwon’s attention. 

The dark look was instantly replaced with Siwon’s usual friendly smile. (This didn’t make Kyuhyun feel better. In fact, the doctor became even more bothered.)

“Oh, I’m quite fine. Nice seeing you again, Dr. Cho.”

Kyuhyun just nodded back.

Sungmin, meanwhile, was looking speculatively at his friend. His friend could act brash and arrogant, but Kyuhyun was really humble deep down. As far as Sungmin knew, Kyuhyun didn’t really insist on being called with his professional title. Kyuhyun would just insist that people simply call him “Kyuhyun.” Sungmin now couldn’t understand why Kyuhyun would just let this guy call him as “Dr. Cho.” Did Kyuhyun want to just maintain formality instead of familiarity with Siwon? But why?

However, before Sungmin could think more about Kyuhyun’s oddness, Yesung suddenly remembered to introduce his boyfriend, distracting Sungmin.

“Sungmin, this is my boyfriend, Choi Siwon.”

With impeccable manners, Siwon politely greeted and shook hands with Sungmin.

“Well, why are we still all standing around outside? Let’s get inside. The night’s getting cold, and dinner’s ready. I’m sure that you must all be hungry by now…” Sa-eun said, ushering everyone inside their home.

Kyuhyun didn’t fail to notice that as soon as Sa-eun had released her patient from her hug, Siwon’s arms were immediately wrapping themselves around Yesung instead.

At the surface level, the dinner gathering seemed great. As Kyuhyun had told Yesung before, Sungmin was an excellent cook, and he prepared several courses for them that night. The food was delicious, warm, and filling. Other than the meal itself, the company was also great, and everyone chatted happily. The doctors talked about recent changes in the hospital, Sungmin and Yesung shared some funny incidents with their students (though their stories were quite different, with Sungmin running a martial arts school while Yesung taught music), and Siwon shared some of his company’s latest business ventures, especially gathering the doctors’ interest when he mentioned the new kind of x-ray machine that Choi Corporation was developing.

All in all, it was a very warm and friendly atmosphere.

But only at the surface level.

If one was observant enough and was minded to pay closer attention, there were small things here and there that seemed… odd and out of place. Small things, really, but noticeable enough to those who paid enough attention.

Even though Kyuhyun seemed to be engaged in his conversations with the others, he was actually paying very close attention. 

Close enough attention to notice the odd, out of place actions that Siwon did.

Throughout dinner, Siwon held Yesung’s hand. Actually, in Kyuhyun’s opinion, it wasn’t just simply holding Yesung’s hand; it was really more of clutching onto Yesung’s hand. Siwon’s left hand was clutching onto Yesung’s right during the whole meal. Both them had to feed themselves with just one hand. Sometimes, their joined hands were resting on the table; sometimes, their joined hands were out of sight from the others, resting on their laps instead. Kyuhyun knew that their hands were still joined even during those moments that their hands were out of sight, for the two of them still kept eating with just one hand each.

The only time that Siwon ever let go of Yesung’s hand was when Dr. Lee tried to serve her patient with more vegetables.

“Jongwoonie, try some of this vegetable casserole,” she said, grabbing the platter. “Sungmin made it especially just for you.”

Siwon’s lips thinned at those words, and Kyuhyun guessed that it was because Siwon didn’t like anyone especially making food for his boyfriend. Yesung didn’t notice, though, because apart from being slightly naïve and oblivious, he was too busy lamenting that he would have to eat more vegetables tonight.

Yesung gave a mighty sigh and said to Sungmin with a wry smile, “You shouldn’t have.”

Sungmin grinned. He understood what Yesung meant. It wasn’t that Sungmin shouldn’t have bothered to exert so much effort for just Yesung. It was that Sungmin really shouldn’t have made the vegetable dish so that Yesung wouldn’t have to eat it.

“Actually, hyung, I had to,” Sungmin chuckled. “My wife practically ordered me to make it for you.”

Yesung just sighed again. Of course she did. And he couldn’t protest as his cardiologist reached over and started to spoon some of the vegetable casserole onto his plate. He knew that it was useless to protest against Dr. Lee and her need to make sure that her patient ate vegetables.

However, Siwon then suddenly let go of Yesung’s hand. He took the platter from Dr. Lee and said to her with a warm smile, “Oh, allow me to do that, Dr. Lee. You just enjoy your own meal. I’m sure that you’re also tired and hungry from having to see many patients today.”

And Siwon started to pile vegetable casserole onto Yesung’s plate. Despite having to eat more vegetables, Yesung had to smile at Siwon. Sungmin and even Sa-eun also smiled as well. Siwon was being a very attentive boyfriend to Yesung and being very gentlemanly to Dr. Lee.

The only one who wasn’t smiling was Kyuhyun. His eyes were narrowed. Of course Siwon had to be the one, not anyone else, who served food to his boyfriend… And Kyuhyun’s eyes narrowed even more when as soon as Siwon set down the platter again, his hand immediately took Yesung’s hand and clutched onto it once more.

And Kyuhyun’s observant eyes didn’t fail to notice how Siwon’