“It was an eventful day for everyone.” Heechul said chuckling softly.

The cast of Knowing Brothers nodded along.

“Of course.” Jang Hoon said. “The media just took everything out of proportion.”

“They seemed to target Eunhyuk.” Yesung added in distaste. “I didn’t expect the public to be more insensitive.”

“No one was thinking straight when it happened.” Siwon nodded. “I mean a person couldn’t expect such a sudden disaster to happen.”

“I already apologized to the security officers.” Hyukjae said speaking for the first time during the entire filming. “ I was panicking. I didn’t think about what I was doing.”

“No one could.” Soo Geun agreed sympathetically.

Donghae, who was sitting next to Hyukjae, causally slung an arm around the latter’s tense shoulders, leaning in slightly.

“He was just worried about me.” Donghae exclaimed playfully.

“No I wasn’t, you idiot.” Hyukjae retorted weakly.

No one, not even the viewers, who watched this episode once in aired, believed his words. 

“And you wonder why we keep asking you whether you’re part of D&E or Super Junior!” Shindong said humorously. 

Everyone on set laughed. It was only the members of SuJu that felt a light sense of relief with the words. They knew that their precious secret was still safe amongst them.

“All your social media posts are about D&E too!” Ryeowook said almost gleefully. “Both of you!” 

“You guys are just jealous we have our own subunit!” Donghae retorted teasingly.

“Why would we be jealous of a Fish and Anchovy?” Heechul laughed. 

“We have KRY too!There are more subunits you know!” Yesung quipped in.

“Members. Members. Just calm down.” Leeteuk intervened before it became a full blown argument about who’s the best. “We are all Super Junior.”

The others dropped their childish fighting when the leader spoke, reducing it into small grumblings. Leeteuk just smile at them fondly deciding it was time for their iconic chant which had always reminded everyone where they truly belonged. 

“We are Super Juni-“ he yelled out quite spontaneously.

“Oyeo!”

Nine hands raised along with their voices in unison. After the 15 odd years they had spent together, through thick and thin, it was almost a reflex.

The Knowing Brothers cast clapped in acknowledgement and respect. Anyone could recognize that this was a group truely deserving of a round of applause.

“At least we’ll always be Donghae and Hyukjae.” Donghae murmured softly.

The latter who heard his words, turned towards him with a loving smile that was reserved for Donghae and Donghae only.

“Yes. Yes we will.”

•••

Hyukjae found himself placing Donghae on his lap as he tried to calm the latter down. Donghae was gripping on to him with all his might while his eyes were unfocused. He was panting hard, unable to calm down. 

“Donghae... Donghae you’re alright.” Hyukjae found himself whispering gently, leaning in.

He ignored the warning bells going off in his mind that warned him, he shouldn’t be so intimate in public. Specially with the amount of cameras that were probably being directed at them.

“Donghae... I got you. You’re safe. I’m here.” He tried again, murmuring to the other’s ear.

Hyukjae’s own breathing was beginning to calm down.His Donghae was there. In his arms. Safe and sound, Hyukjae reminded himself. He reached out a hand to brush the damp brunette locks out of Donghae’s face and gently leaned in so that their foreheads were touching. 

“Donghae look at me. We made it.” Hyukjae whispered breathlessly.

The said brunette finally looked at him, a few tears escaping his eyes as his thin lips spread into a small smile. And that was enough for Hyukjae’s full blown gummy smile to return. He chuckled as he pulled the other impossibly close.

“You look like a beautiful angel!”

Those were the first words Donghae spontaneously blurted out as he regained his breath. Hyukjae laughed. 

“Only you’d think that, Hae.” He smiled.

And it was true. Anyone else who’d cared to look at him would think that he’s an absolute lunatic, with his dark hair in a complete disarray and his makeup smudged. His outfit which consisted of shiny sapphire blue jacket was partially torn, a reminder of the struggle he had gone to get to Donghae. And amidst all this chaos, only Donghae will find Hyukjae to be beautiful. 

But that’s always been the case, Hyukjae smiles nostalgically.

Hyukjae slammed the dorm room door shut, crashing haphazardly on his bed, buring his face in the pillows, pitiful sobs erupting from his body. He wanted to scream his lungs out.

It just wasn’t fair.

He could hide all he wanted under the facade of Eunhyuk, but at the end of the day he was still Lee Hyukjae. He was still a human. Super Junior’s Eunhyuk was confident and mischievous. He didn’t care of what the others said, he was Suju’s dance machine. But when the cameras were off, he was Hyukjae and harsh comments still hurt.

“Eunhyuk is so ugly. How on earth did he debut as an idol?”

“Wow! He looks like a monkey. How ugly!”

“Standing between Siwon and Donghae, Eunhyuk looks horrible.”

“Eunhyuk should go get some plastic surgery done. Maybe that could make him look better.”

“He must have had a failed plastic surgery. No one can look that horrendous face.”

“No one can ever love him. Just look at that ugly face!”

“Eunhyuk will bring Suju down with him. Such a disgusting ape!”

“Super Junior could disband because of that ugly face!”

Hyukjae scrunched his eyes shut, pleading the voices to go away. But they kept following him around, appearing on his social media, taunting him in variety shows without any mercy. He heard the door softly open then close behind him. Hyukjae sat up on his bed, quietly sniffling,not needing to even open his eyes to know who entered the room.

Sure enough, Donghae stood there, dressed in his dance practice clothes, staring at Hyukjae his puppy-like eyes filling with concern. Donghae didn’t utter a single word, instead crawled up on his bed, coming to a stop between Hyukjae legs. Donghae wrapped his arms around the other’s neck and placed a kiss on his cheek.

“How can you even stand to be with me?” Hyukjae whimpered his eyes filled with tears, buring his head in Donghae’s shoulder.

“How can you look at my face and tell me you love me? Don’t I disgust you? You can do so much better.”

Donghae softly sighed and pulled him even closer while Hyukjae’s eyes teared up yet again.

“I’m sorry I’m not handsome enough. I’m sorry I’m letting the group down. I’m so sorry...” Hyukjae’s voice cracked painfully. 

He didn’t see Donghae fiercely blinking back a few tears as he gathered his thoughts, while Hyukjae’s hair.

“I-“

Donghae cut him off this time. 

“Hyukjae.” He whispered firmly. “Listen to me. Do you know why I think your eyes are beautiful? Because they somehow manage to twinkle when you’re happy.”

“Do you know why I think your nose is beautiful? Because it becomes so red, like a strawberry, when it’s cold and I think it’s adorable.”

“Do you know why I think your lips are beautiful? Because every time you kiss me, I know I found a person I truely belong to.”

“Do you know why I think your ears are beautiful? Because every time the members tease you it’s your ears that heat up so cutely.”

“Do you know why the members think you’re beautiful? Because they know whatever the struggles we may face in the future you’ll be the same Hyukjae who’s an irreplaceable part of Super Junior. It’s simply because you’re you.”

“Do you know why I think you’re beautiful? Because you’re the person who laughed with me during the happy times, cried with me through my struggles. You were the one who sat outside the door the whole time on those times where I locked myself in and cried my eyes out. You were the one to show me what true love is.”

“And do you know why I love you? It’s because for the first time in my life I found someone that I want to spend the rest of my life with.”

Hyukjae buried his head further in Donghae’s shoulder, tears running down his eyes for the first time realizing that what the others thought didn’t matter. As long as he had Donghae he was happy. He wrapped his arms around the others waist tightly.

“Thank you. You know I love you too right?” Hyukjae murmured kissing the exposed expansion of the others neck.

“I hoped so after that whole speech.” Donghae lightly chuckled.

It wasn't the first time that Donghae had to reassure him about this and he knew it wouldn't be the last. Hyukjae looked at him. Donghae’s eyes too were filled with unshed tears. His expression held so much sincerity and live that Hyukjae wondered how he had gotten so lucky for such an angel to fall in love with him. Hyukjae maybe young but he wasn’t stupid. He vowed to spend the rest of his life cherishing this man who meant so much to him.

“Do you doubt my words?” Donghae gently prodded.

“Never.” Hyukjae replied smiling.

Of course as the years passed by Hyukjae had his own fan club, all of them exclaiming how handsome he is, but he never forgot that one person who told him he was beautiful when the rest of the world begged to differ.

And he really should have expected it but many many years later, standing miles away from home in the tropical lands of Hawaii, Hyukjae is still surprised when Donghae speaks out an entire essay on how beautiful he is, in front of their closest friends and family.

“I’m pretty sure you’re the beautiful one, Hae.” Hyukjae laughed bringing the other closer to him.

He was firmly resisting the urge to claim Donghae’s lips, so he instead placed a gentle kiss on the corner of the other’s mouth. Hyukjae looked up and for the first time noticed that the rest of the members were surrounding them, forming a circle, shielding them as much as they could from the media.

Donghae too looked up to see his dearest members and smiled softly.

“We’re glad you’re ok Hae.” Siwon said.

“We were so scared.” Ryeowook added supporting his weight against Shindong.

“Please never do that again. I think I lost about ten years of my life.” Yesung said quite seriously sparking laughter among the members.

Donghae and Hyukjae stood up. The former simply looked at all the faces of the circle with tears filling up his eyes again and asked,

“Can I have a hug?”

Soon all the remaining members of Super Junior were hugging each other. Hyukjae had never felt so contented in his life than in that moment where his arms were around Donghae and several other arms were wrapped around both of them, they were safe and secure. They had made it.

Beyond their little huddle, the clicking noises of the cameras intensified. Hyukjae knew that the media and reporters would have a lot of fun coming up with articles about the day. They’ve always kept a track of Super Junior’s life and recorded their every move. 

Hyukjae smile faintly as he thought that while the reporters knew a lot about them, they were  all wrong about one thing.

Sungmin wasn’t the first Super Junior member to get married.

He was the third.

•••

(A/N: Annddd it’s over... I might add some extra chapters in later, about the wedding and maybe about how eunhae got together. 

In a realistic situation everyone should be in hospital once they evacuated, but I really wanted the ending to be them hugging while the reporters kept taking pictures with a burning building in the background. It’s more artistic but not at all ideal.

Oh and I was trying to portray what the members actually went through and what they pretended to have gone through while filming are completely different. No one but them knew the full extent of the incident. I think I messed that part up... I’ll just try my best in the future!

Thank you so much for reading!!)