"Brrrringgg!!!"

At 9am sharp, Kyuhyun's alarm went off as set.

"Brrringggggggg!!"

The alarm rang for the second time, the owner of it dead to the world.

"Brrrrringg- gacha"

"CHO KYU HYUN! WAKE UP!" A violent slap to the head, Kyuhyun snapped up awake, his sleeping mask sliding down his face. "Wha-? Hyung!" Kyuhyun protested and whined as soon as he saw Jongwoon standing right in front of him. The older had his hands stuck onto his waist, a frown visible above his sunglasses.

"Hyung, why are you-" Kyuhyun was about to ask about the glasses before stopping himself.

"Why what?" Jongwoon asked nervously.

"Nothing! Let's hurry, we have the last bit of the mountain to finish!" Kyuhyun jumped out of bed suddenly and dashed for the bathroom.

"Wha-?" Jongwoon blinked confusedly. He was sure that Kyuhyun was going to ask about his sunglasses. He even had an explanation ready.

"Whatever." Hearing the shower turning on, Jongwoon shrugged and went to pack his stuff.

………

After a simple breakfast provided by the lodge, Jongwoon and Kyuhyun set to work and scouted the rest of the summit. Their project took up half their day and as soon as they were done, Jongwoon dragged Kyuhyun down the mountain.

"Hurry, Kyu! Heechul hyung and Leeteuk hyung might be back early and I need to be back before them!" Jongwoon urged the younger, who was not cooperating with him.

"But hyung! Why are we climbing down when there is a lift for us to take?" Kyuhyun lamented. The only reason they climbed up was because of the project.

"I..." Jongwoon stopped and tried to come up with a reason, but came up with none.

"Could it be..." Kyuhyun's eyes lit up in realization.

"No! No! Let's take it!" Jongwoon's stubborn side will eventually cause him trouble.

………

"......"

"Hyung? Hyung? You're not moving." Kyuhyun commented as they sat on the chairlift. The ride ascended slowly before descending in a steady speed.

"Hyung? Respondddddd." Kyuhyun whined, snapping his fingers in front of the stone-looking Jongwoon.

"Ah!" Kyuhyun gasped lightly when a small hand caught his snapping fingers and crushed it under its grip.

"Hyung! My fingers! Grab my...uh...hand instead!" Kyuhyun snatched his fingers back and handed his hand over to the older. Instantly, his bigger hand was held in a death grip by a smaller gloved hand, size unusual for a male.

"You should have admit you were acrophobic and we could climb down..." Kyuhyun flinched at the sudden squeeze before complaining.

"......" Jongwoon couldn't even squeeze a single word out of his mouth.

"Hais..." Kyuhyun sighed at the lack of response. The older was literally a statue. Kyuhyun pitied the older as he raised his other hand and enveloped the smaller hand in his. With a strong and comforting voice, Kyuhyun whispered.

"Don't worry hyung, I'm here."

………

"Uwah!! We're finally on land!" Jongwoon shouted as soon as he scurried away from the lift like a squirrel with his chestnut.

"You're really scared of heights, eh hyung?" Kyuhyun teased and chuckled.

"Everyone has their own weaknesses!" Jongwoon defended himself, turning away in spite.

"Yeah, yeah. Tell me more about your weaknesses, hyung?" Kyuhyun approached the elder and poked him on the shoulder playfully.

"Who talks about their weaknesses?" Kyuhyun could feel the judging look even behind the sunglasses.

"Me! I'll tell you about mine!" Kyuhyun offered as he brushed past Jongwoon to enter the city area.

"Is there a catch?" Jongwoon asked suspiciously, jogging a little catch up with Kyuhyun's long legs. His attention was all on Kyuhyun that he had forgotten about his fear in the city.

"Nope. It's just my past." Kyuhyun shook his head in reply.

"What about it?" Jongwoon was genuinely curious.

"I used to be pretty nerdy and a coward last time." Kyuhyun stated with a smile at first. But it was gone as soon as it came "and weakness came with it." Kyuhyun's smile dropped, a dark expression over his face. "I couldn't defend nor protect myself and the ones I love."

Jongwoon frowned at Kyuhyun's deteriorating mood. He looked at Kyuhyun's tightly clenched fist and placed a small hand on his forearm, the touch successfully gaining Kyuhyun's attention "What happened?" Jongwoon asked softly.

"I..."

………

In the small countryside classroom of Cheonan Elementary, Kyuhyun sat quietly to the side of the classroom. He didn't made any friends for the past 2 years in the school except for the game console in his hands. He was content this way. With thick glasses over his eyes from excessive gaming, Kyuhyun had came back from the cafeteria and is enjoying the peace of the classroom before the fourth period starts.

And that was when a group of his classmates walked in, chatting boisterously as though he was not there.

"Did you see that sunbae from fourth grade?" One of them asked with a mocking tone.

"Yeah. The one with pink hair and eyes right? He's even wearing gloves!" Another nodded and laughed.

"He looks like an alien!" The last of them shrieked.

"No