A/N: Hi, guys! So, I’ve been thinking about my narrative technique for presenting Kyusung’s past in this story. Here’s what I came up with. I’ve decided to allot some chapters for just their past.

Important note (please read): The next three chapters will be flashbacks, showing the past of Kyusung. The past is divided into three main parts, one part of each of the next three chapters: “Sin,” “Solitude,” and “Salvation.” Then, after these three chapters, we will go back again to the present day.

Here’s the first part of the past, “Sin”!

Five Years Ago

“How could you cheat on me?”

Kyuhyun flinched. Yesung didn’t really raise his voice then. But no matter how modulated his voice was, the disbelief, anger, and, most of all, hurt were quite clear in his voice. The hurt was the absolute worst for Kyuhyun. He had always hated it whenever Yesung was hurt in any way or form.

And now, Kyuhyun himself was the cause of that hurt.

He hurt Yesung in worst way possible.

“I didn’t mean to,” Kyuhyun whispered brokenly.

These words didn’t seem much—not now after the sin had already been committed. But these words were still true.

He really didn’t mean to do it.

All that he had wanted that night was to drink his stress away. He had been given heavy workload at his workplace. Double his usual workload. The intense work, the long hours, and the unending pressure from his boss had made him want to seek out some relief.

He had gone to his favorite hangout place, a modern bar near his workplace, to get drunk. Really drunk.

Kyuhyun had very high alcohol tolerance. But he had wanted to get completely zonked that night, just to get away from the stress for a while. So, just like his workload had been doubled, Kyuhyun had consumed twice as much alcohol as he could normally tolerate. Maybe even more. And as he had high alcohol tolerance, the amount of alcohol that he had needed to get totally drunk had been insanely a lot.

But it had worked. Hours of nonstop drinking, and he had finally gotten completely zonked.

The stressed feeling had left him.

Unfortunately, his rationality, good judgment, and presence of mind had also left him.

There had been a woman.

Kyuhyun had known her a bit even before that night. She had worked near his workplace, and she had been expressing interest in Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun, of course, had been rejecting her, telling her that he had a boyfriend, but she had been persistent and had always made a move on Kyuhyun whenever she would see him.

It had been Kyuhyun’s rotten luck that she had also been at his favorite bar that night.

Earlier that night, she had tried to make a move on him as usual. And he had rejected her as usual. But hours had passed, and Kyuhyun had continued to consume endless glasses upon glasses of alcohol. His senses had eventually become inhibited. He barely recalled what had happened after he had gotten completely zonked. He had a vague memory of her coming onto him, straddling him, and kissing him. And in his drunken state, he had not pushed her away. He vaguely recalled leaving the bar with her. The rest of the night had passed in a blur of heat, moans, tangled limbs, pleasure, and release.

The next morning, Kyuhyun had woken up in a hotel room near the bar, with a major hangover and with the woman’s body sprawled on top of him, both of them completely .

He had been horrified. He had hurriedly left the hotel room, not even listening to her calling him back.

When he had gotten back to his shared apartment with Yesung, he had faced a very worried boyfriend. Yesung had been worried all night, for Kyuhyun had not come home and had not answered any of his calls or texts. When Kyuhyun had finally come home, Yesung had asked him what had happened.

Kyuhyun had looked into Yesung’s almond-shaped eyes then, and his heart had cracks forming on it. How could he tell Yesung the truth? How could he hurt Yesung? 

So, Kyuhyun had given some excuse that he had gone drinking with coworkers and had slept off the alcohol in a colleague’s house that was near the bar. Yesung hadn’t been pleased that Kyuhyun had gotten so drunk, but he hadn’t suspected that Kyuhyun was lying to him. They had always been honest with each other before, after all.

Kyuhyun then had tried to keep the truth—his great sin—to himself. He had convinced himself that Yesung didn’t have to know. That Yesung didn’t have to get hurt. That their relationship didn’t have to get tainted by what had happened. Kyuhyun had vowed never to drink again, so a repeat of such a night—such a sin—would never happen.  Kyuhyun woul