4 FEBRUARY 2021

02:00 AM

Her phone showed the time. It was two in the morning. Seohyun was lying in bed, the events earlier replaying in her mind, or rather, a certain someone.

“You should make a guest appearance on KyuTV. We can cook something,” Kyuhyun had said to her. It turned out, they both had a common interest; tteokbokki, and maybe cooking too. Her mind pondered for a while. That was an interesting idea. People would speculate, thinking they’re a couple, when they’re not.

“Wouldn’t that cause a ruckus?” Seohyun told him with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“Wouldn’t that be fun?” Kyuhyun replied sneakily. The two of them shared a mischievous look before Changmin, who had been watching the two of them, finally decided to speak up. “Yah, Seohyun-ah. You told me earlier you’re afraid this would be awkward but now look who’s being all flirty with Kyuhyun,”

            Minho was the first to burst into laughter. Kyuhyun, Seohyun and Changmin followed suit.

When Seohyun stumbled upon Changmin at the coffee shop, he invited her over to Kyuhyun’s birthday party. She was reluctant at first, considering she and Kyuhyun weren’t very close and the last time they spoke was at Changmin’s wedding that was in October of last year. He somehow managed to convince her to go and then there she was, in Kyuhyun’s apartment, celebrating his birthday with Changmin and Minho. At first, she felt like an outsider, a fourth wheeler amongst three best friends, then slowly, the atmosphere became warmer. All the awkwardness she felt earlier dissipated and before she knew it, they were all laughing together as the night continued. It wasn’t until midnight that she finally excused herself to go home. The three friends seemed to want to continue their night, getting drunker by the minute.

“Swing by anytime you’re free, for a drink or meal or whatever,” Kyuhyun said to her as he walked her to the door. He was still quite sober despite the uncountable glasses of wine he had. It was probably the alcohol that made him grab her coat and helped her put it on.

“You barely stay here, oppa,” she said, turning around to face him. It was true, though. His apartment was a place he kept private. All the filming and any broadcasting would be done in the Super Junior dorm. The public knew nothing about this apartment of his.

“I do, actually. It’s just that, sometimes, Eunhyuk-hyung gets lonely and would go to the dorm, so I kinda just stay there because he’s pathetic,” he explained in a snarky manner. Seohyun laughed at him. She knew he loved Eunhyuk like a brother, despite everything Kyuhyun said about him. That’s just how he expresses his feelings. The same goes to Changmin. It’s no surprise they are best friends. The surprise is how Changmin and Minho managed to be so comfortable with her while with Kyuhyun, there’s always a hint of awkwardness in the atmosphere. Not today, though.

“I’ll stop by if you cook me cheese tteokbokki with steak,” Seohyun joked. Now that she’s really looking at him, she could see that he might be slightly tipsy. Just a little. That’s probably why he wasn’t as awkward as always.

What he did next surprised her.

Kyuhyun smiled and leaned in to hug her. He’s not a hugger, let alone a women-hugger. His head fell onto her shoulder as he said “Sure,”. His voice muffled by her coat. Seohyun did the first thing she could think of; wrap her arms around him. Surprisingly, it felt normal.

“Kyuhyun-hyung is definitely tipsy,” she could hear Minho speak as he walked towards them. He was also tipsy. In fact, all three of them were tipsy.

Kyuhyun broke the hug and turned to Minho. “I’m not,” he defended.

“Yeah, sure,” Minho retaliated with a wide smile. From the dining table, Changmin hollered, “Drive safely, Seohyun. Call us if anything happens okay. We’re still capable of everything,”

Yup, they’re all slightly tipsy. She can confirm. “Thank you, oppa. Goodbye,” With a smile, Seohyun walked out and drove home.

 

02:18 AM

She couldn’t sleep. She kept thinking of how friendly Kyuhyun had become. He was usually a little shy. Maybe it was the alcohol that made him friendlier. Or maybe because he was surrounded by his best friends who were not awkward with her. Or maybe time has changed and he’s no longer the awkward guy who would only talk to guys he’s close to. She is no longer an SM artist. Who knew what had happened in those years she was absent. He also had gone to the army, maybe things changed.

Yeah. Maybe things have changed.

She finally closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.

 

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4 MARCH 2021

11:37 AM

Seohyun was relaxing on her couch, watching Bridgerton, when a notification popped on her phone screen. It was a text from Kyuhyun, precisely, a photo. That’s weird. They didn’t contact each other ever since his little birthday gathering. Not thinking much, she clicked on it. To her amusement, it was a picture of cheese tteokbokki topped with a piece of medium rare steak, complete with a glass of red wine. Seohyun chuckled to herself. She decided to reply to him.

                S : Is that for me?

She could see the bubbles on the screen appearing and disappearing a few times. She wondered what was it that he wanted to say that made him erase the text a couple of times. As she continued staring at her phone screen, his reply came in.

                K : Could be. Unless you’re late and I finish it all.

Seohyun smiled to herself. Should she go? Is he inviting her? It sounds like he is, and the food- oh God, she had been craving for cheese tteokbokki since two days ago but was too lazy to cook. Buying wasn’t an option because store-bought ones aren’t good as home-made and Kyuhyun’s picture was making water. Maybe she should go. Definitely.

                S : NOOOO. Don’t finish it all. I’ll be there in ten.

She didn’t even wait for his reply as she stormed off to her room to get ready to go to his place.

 

11:53 AM

The door opened just seconds after she rang the buzzer.

“You’re late,” was the first thing he said. Seohyun shot him an incredulous look. His face was serious and he was looking at her straight in the eyes. They had a brief moment of intense stare before he snapped out of character with a laugh. “Come on in, late-comer,”

Seohyun smiled as she rolled her eyes at him and proceeded to follow him into the apartment. The entire place smelled like steak.

“Smells so good,” she said, inhaling the air. He had opened the windows a little for ventilation, inviting the chilly March air inside but the heater is still switched on, so everything’s good. She followed Kyuhyun to the stove where he stirred something in a pan to see what he was cooking.

“What is this?” she asked, standing beside him.

“Steak sauce,” he answered shortly. The sauce came to a simmer and he turned off the heat. “Aaaand it’s done,” he continued. “Now let’s eat,”

Seohyun helped him set the table and serve the food. It turned out, he hadn’t eaten anything yet. He was waiting for her to arrive so they could dine together. The two of them started having a conversation. It started off with the topics of food and cooking and later went on to talking about their friends and their lives.

“So, I’m not going to see you at SM’s Halloween parties anymore?” he asked her when they have finished eating. Seohyun frowned her brows at him.

“I think I’ve only seen you once at the Halloween party, and you didn’t even dress up as anything,” she stated, more like questioning him.

Kyuhyun let out a chuckle. “I dressed up enough in my musicals. It’s not fun,”

“You’re not fun,” Seohyun laughed at him. “See, this is why you’re awkward with people. you don’t go to social gatherings enough,” she explained.

“COVID,” he simply answered. Seohyun rolled her eyes at him. This guy didn’t need a pandemic to stay isolated, he already lived in isolation.

“If it’s just a Halloween party between our groups, Super Junior and Girls’ Generation, then I’ll go,” he said. Then, he had a moment of realization. “But we also need to invite TVXQ and SHINee,”

Of course. His beloved Kyu-line.

“But then, their groups…” he continued. He was in deep thoughts and seemed to be seriously thinking about it. “…I only want Changmin and Minho,”

At that, Seohyun laughed heartily. Kyuhyun looked at her with a clueless look on his face. “What?” he asked, genuinely confused.

Seohyun recovered from her laughter and heaved an exaggerated sigh. “Oppa, you and your Kyu-line friends are really inseparable, huh?”

This time, Kyuhyun let out a laugh. The absence of explanation explained everything. They cannot be separated. They might come from different groups, Changmin might have gotten married and they might all have other friends from shows they’re in whom they spend more time with, but at the end of the day, it’s always the three of them. Occasionally, Suho would tag along, but mainly just them three. She didn’t want to ask about Jonghyun from CNBlue, if he was still in contact with them. It didn’t feel right to ask.

Seohyun leaned forward and propped her elbows on the dining table, her chin resting on the back of her hands. “So, who do you want to see all dressed up?” she asked, her lips forming a mischievous smile.

Sensing her tone, Kyuhyun mirrored her action. With a smirk, he answered, “You,”

They stared into each other’s eyes, as if competing to see who could hold the stare longer.

“Then we’ll just a hold a party for two,” she retorted.

His eyes wavered for a split second. “My room is always available,”

His smirk lasted for another three seconds because after that he burst into laughter. They both did. “Are you drunk?” she asked in between her fits of laughter.

Leaning back into the chair as he calmed down, he answered, “I could ask the same thing,”.

 

18:18 PM

They were perched on the floor by the glass wall of his apartment, watching the sunset disappear among tall buildings. “I should go home,” she said.

He turned to look at her. “You okay driving home alone at this hour?”

She nodded in response; eyes fixated on the orange hue of the sun. “Just a couple more minutes, until the sun completely disappears,”

He whispered an “okay” and turned back to watch the sunset. They had spent the whole day together, just the two of them, for the very first time in almost 14 years and it wasn’t awkward. It was splendid. After the meal, they cleaned up together, proceeded to talk for about an hour then continued the day watching comedy movies, having a good laugh. Between movies, Seohyun even offered to make dessert for the both of them. He helped, of course, as they made chocolate mousse to be eaten with pretzel sticks.

 

18:27 PM

He bid her farewell as they shared a goodbye hug at his front door. The day had been wonderful. A day well spent indeed. As she drove home, she couldn’t help but be amazed at the fact that out of all the guys she knew, Kyuhyun would be the one she would suddenly be close to. Can they be considered close now? After only a day hanging out together? Maybe not, but in her defence, she felt very comfortable. It was as if they had been close friends forever.

Never mind.

 

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30 JUNE 2021

08:11 AM

It’s been two days since her birthday. He had wished her at midnight of her birthday, but she held a small party only for her GG members. No one knew about their blooming friendship. It was something they unknowingly had a mutual agreement not to tell anyone, not even Changmin and Minho. In the span of three months, they’ve hung out at each other’s place more times than they’d care to count. Seohyun remember a particular time at her place when he came over to her place and something happened.

 

                23 MAY 2021

                13:25 PM

Seohyun opened her front door to a smiley man holding a bottle of red wine in his right hand and a deck of playing cards in his left. She stood in front of him, her arms folded. “Yes, may I help you?”

“I’m here to brighten up a friend’s dull day,” he cheerfully exclaimed. Seohyun playfully eyed him from head to toe. Her eyes landed on his footwear. It was a pair of navy-blue sandals. On the left foot was written ‘KYU’ and the other had ‘HYUN’ and a penguin on top of each syllable. “Gift from fan,” he said, as if reading her mind.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you bought them on your own,” she replied, her eyes going back to his face, with an expression that he knew meant ‘because you’re so weird’.

He knew that look too well. “You’re just jealous,”. Then, he just welcomed himself in. Seohyun rolled her eyes playfully. It wasn’t the first time he’d been there. By now, he had already known the layout of her apartment, just as she knew his. He went straight to her kitchen and picked out two wine glasses, the deck of cards left on the kitchen counter as he brought the glasses and wine to her coffee table.

“Can you get the cards?” he asked her. She had been silent the whole time, just watching him make himself at home. “We’re going to play poker today,”

             She did as he asked and followed him to the living area. “Poker?”

“Yup. If you want to spice it up, let me know,” he winked at her, the smile he had earlier never fading.

Seohyun eyed him carefully. He seemed very cheerful today. Did something good happen? She decided to just ask him. “Why are you so happy?”

“I just finished recording an OST and now I’m free, FINALLY,” he explained. It was true that for the past few weeks he had been very busy, going from one location to another for filming, recording songs and finding a suitable content for his YouTube Channel, KyuTV. He didn’t even get to reply to her text, her one and only text, in which she congratulated Super Junior for their performance. She and Kyuhyun weren’t text buddies. They barely text, barely call -unless to ask if they’re home- and then just barge in on each other’s apartments as if it’s their own place.

As Kyuhyun poured the wine into the glasses, he briefly looked at her and apologized for not replying to her text.

“So, this is just you making up for not replying to my text?” she asked, now sitting across him at the coffee table.

Kyuhyun started to deal the cards. “This is me spending quality time with a friend,”

“By playing poker?” she questioned.

“Do you suggest we play strip poker instead?”, he answered, looking at her through his lashes.

With a naughty smile, she replied “Your fans would love it if I post a shirtless you online,”

Kyuhyun picked up his cards and started arranging it. His eyes focused on the cards. “Would you love it too?”

“I think I prefer Minho’s,”. She looked straight at him.

Kyuhyun sighed in defeat. He clenched his hand over his chest, feigning a hurt expression, making Seohyun laugh. “He’s a born athlete. Can’t compete with that. My friends all love to work out,”

“Come on let’s just play, oppa,”

 

18:00 PM

They were lying with their backs against the couch, relaxing, sipping red wine, being extra chatty because they’re probably tipsy. The TV was on, but they weren’t paying attention to it. It was a calm evening, just the two of them, enjoying their time together while waiting for the pizza to arrive. Despite Kyuhyun insisting that pizza wouldn’t go well with red wine, Seohyun insisted on trying. He gave in eventually and they ended up ordering two pizzas for dinner.

The doorbell rang. “PIZZA!” he exclaimed. They laughed and Seohyun got up to get the door. To her horror, standing in front of her wasn’t the pizza delivery guy, instead were her parents.

“Omma, Appa!” Okay, so she might have said that too little too loud. But she was very surprised.

It was a good thing though, because Kyuhyun heard that and his senses quickly came back. He knew it wouldn’t be a good picture too se him like that; perched on the floor of a lady’s house, drinking, at 6 in the evening. Yup, definitely not good. So, he did what his tipsy brain could think of at the moment; run to her bedroom.

Seohyun’s parents were also surprised of her tone. They could sense right away that she wasn’t sober. “Were you drinking?” her mom asked.

“Yes?” Seohyun answered sheepishly. Her mother only shook her head. Nonetheless, she invited herself in along with Seohyun’s father.

“Is this yours?” her father asked, pointing at Kyuhyun’s sandals.

Oh .

Thankfully, the ‘KYU’ side was hidden under ‘HYUN’, so she quickly took the sandals and kept them inside the shoe cabinet.

A little white lie wouldn’t hurt. “It’s a gift from a fan,”. Well, technically, she wasn’t lying. At this point, she was hoping Kyuhyun would’ve heard their conversation and went off to hide somewhere. She was grateful to find no trace of him in her living room. She didn’t fail to notice her bedroom door was closed though.

Seeing the wine bottle on the floor, Seohyun’s mother turned to her. “Why are you drinking alone, sweetheart?”

She simply let out a chuckle. “No reason,”. Just then, her doorbell rang again.

Must be the pizza.

Indeed, it was. Her father was surprised to see his daughter eating so much. “All that for yourself?” he asked her.

“For tomorrow as well,”. Again, she did not technically lie. The pizza was enough for tomorrow.

 

Seohyun’s parents stayed until 11:30 at night.

 

Poor Kyuhyun was hungry and alone in Seohyun’s bedroom. He played games on his phone until the battery ran out. Thankfully, there was a charger by her bed. He wanted to sleep but he was worried that her parents would walk into the bedroom. He laid on her bed, absent-mindedly gazing the ceiling, feeling bored to death. That made him even sleepier, so he began to walk around her room. In the end, when his drowsiness overpowered, he decided to take a nap in her closet. It was walk in. That should be okay. Hopefully no one would come in.

When her parents went back, Seohyun immediately went to her room. She found no sign of Kyuhyun. Then she checked the bathroom, still no sign of him.

The closet. He must be in there.

She was right. There he was at the corner, lying on the floor, using his hand as a pillow, sleeping like a baby. She smiled at the sight. Seohyun walked towards him and crouched down.

“Oppa, wake up,” she shook his shoulder. Groggily, Kyuhyun opened his eyes and sat up. “My parents have left,”

Kyuhyun mumbled something incoherent.

“What?” she laughed. “Come on, let’s go,”

“Where?” he asked, confused.

“To the guest room. Clearly, you’re in no state to drive back,” she answered. Seohyun took his arm and draped it around her shoulders, helping him stand. The alcohol must’ve made him dizzy.

He staggered clumsily, leaning on her for support. “Hmm,”

That was how Kyuhyun ended up spending a night at Seohyun’s house.

 

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30 JUNE 2021

08:15 AM

There was a leftover cake from her birthday party. He wouldn’t mind eating that, would he? He’s not a picky eater. After going back and forth about contacting him, she finally decided to text him. She took a picture of the cake and sent it to him with a caption.

                S : What do you think about eating cake leftovers from two days ago?

His reply came in an instant.

                K : I think you should come down and get in my car.

What? He’s downstairs? Seohyun asked for confirmation.

                S : You’re downstairs?

Her heart was beating fast. Why wouldn’t he come up if he was downstairs? Honestly, she had no reason to be nervous but she was. She was anxiously waiting for his reply.

                K : Yup. So, come down and get in my car.

She didn’t answer. Instead, she just went into her room and changed into something more presentable. She was about to put on makeup when she remembered his words the other day.

“Ah, it’s good to see my friend again,” he said one day, when she came out of her room, after she washed off her makeup. The towel in her hand flew straight to his face followed by laughter from him.

“I wasn’t wearing that much makeup,” she defended.

He walked towards her with a gentle smile plastered on his face. She breathed in to slow down her heart.

He stood in front of her and wrapped the towel she threw at him around her neck. Her heart quickened when he leaned in to whisper in her ear. “You look much prettier without makeup,” he breathed out on her neck, making her skin tingle. “I thought I was walking next to Pennywise just now,”

“Yah!” she shouted in his face. Kyuhyun burst into a bellow of laughter as she blew a punch on his chest.

Hence, she didn’t put on any makeup. Seohyun looked at herself in the mirror. She turned to her left, right, left again, right again.

Nope. Change outfit.

In the end, she ended up wearing a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. Before going down, she put on her mask and sunglasses to hide her face.

 

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08:25 AM

She didn’t need to look around to find the white car she recognized so well. It was parked just to the right of the building’s entrance. She went to the passenger side and pulled the handle but it was locked. She shot a glare at the black tinted window even though she couldn’t see anything, knowing Kyuhyun was inside, probably laughing at her. Instead of the door, the window rolled down.

“You’re late,” he said, as usual. His face was covered by a surgical mask and a pair of sunglasses.

“I’m not. Now open up,” she replied.

“What happened to the polite Seohyun, huh?” he asked as he unlocked the door.

“Don’t you like this version of Seohyun more?” she questioned him, taking off her mask and sunglasses. She also didn’t forget to sanitize her hands.

Kyuhyun did the same thing. “I like all versions of Seohyun,” and he smiled.

As he drove, Seohyun connected her phone to the car radio. “Yeah, right,”.

 

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08:40 AM

“I made you a birthday pie,” he said as soon as they went into his apartment. Her eyes grew big.

“Really? You baked?” she asked in disbelief. He simply nodded and walked to the kitchen. Kyuhyun went to the sink to wash his hands and then proceeded to the refrigerator. Then, he turned around carrying a chocolate pie in his hands. He put the pie on the kitchen counter to let her see it.

Written on the pie was: ‘Happy Birthday Oldie’

Well, that earned a smack from her. “Oldie?!” she bellowed. Kyuhyun laughed out loud at her reaction. “How dare you?!” she continued. This time it was followed by a pinch on his arm.

“Ow ow ow,” he squirmed in pain as he covered the part she pinched. “Why are you so violent?”

She let out a chuckle. “Because you deserve it,” Seohyun then took another look at the pie. It was obviously self-decorated, based on the messy handwriting and irregular spacing.

“I know it’s ugly but I swear it tastes good,” he explained.

She let out another laugh. Kyuhyun looked at her and asked, “Do you like it?”

Seohyun wrapped an arm around his waist and leaned her head on his shoulder. He, in turn, placed his arm around her shoulder. “It’s ugly but I already love it,” she said to him. “Thank you so much, oppa,”. Then she continued menacingly, “It better taste good,”. She looked up to see him as he looked down and smiled at her. For once, she felt really content and at ease.

“Okay so where do you want to celebrate?” he asked her, looking ahead at the vast display of his apartment.

“Is the bedroom off-limits?” she teased, her mischievous self back in action.

“One day it won’t, even the bathroom,”. There, he said it. “Just go put this very delicious pie anywhere. I’ll take out mineral water because tonight we’ll be sober,”

His words made her laugh. “Sober? Wow. This is new. What happened to Cho-Drunkard?”. Instead of putting the pie elsewhere, she followed him back to the refrigerator.

“He’s taking it slow because artificial liver isn’t available yet,” he retorted. Kyuhyun crouched down to take two bottles of water for him and Seohyun. When he stood up, Seohyun had her hands on both fridge doors, trapping him inside. “If I get frozen to death, I will haunt you for the rest of your life,”

“You really like to exaggerate things, don’t you? No one gets frozen to death in a refrigerator,” she replied.

He snickered at her statement. “Are you not going to move?” he asked.

She flashed a sneaky smile. Then, he went closer and circled his arms around her. Both of them had the mischievous glint in their eyes, both refusing to back down.

“Aack!” she shrieked. He had put the cold bottles on her lower back, making her jump in surprise of the sudden cold. “Oppa!”. Just as quickly, he replaced the cold bottles with the back of his hands. Seohyun let go of the refrigerator door and placed her arms on Kyuhyun’s arms instead, circling him. She leaned her whole body on his as he sauntered them both, with her being walked backwards, to the kitchen counter.

“You’re really pretty, you know that?” he said to her as he set the water bottles he was holding on the kitchen counter behind her, trapping her in the process. With his free hands, he wrapped his arms around her waist as she rested her hands on his biceps.

“I know. I’m a Girls’ Generation,” she replied. He let out a chuckle. For the longest time, they looked into each other’s eyes until he leaned to the side of her face, touching her cheeks with the tip of his nose. Seohyun felt her skin tingle. Her heart was racing. She turned her face to the side, moving her lips closer to his. She could feel his heart beating too, and it’s racing just like hers. After what felt like forever, he finally closed in and kissed her.

Seohyun felt like fireworks were going off inside of her. Her arms automatically slid up to the back of his neck and pulled him closer.

This feels good. Very good.

She wondered why they didn’t do this any sooner. His arms slipped tighter around her. The hand that was once on her waist travelled up to her back and pushed her closer to him.

It was only when they were running out of breaths that they parted their lips. He rested his forehead on hers and opened his eyes. She did too. The moment their eyes met, both of them let out a laugh.

“I’m sorry it’s not a romantic confession,” he admitted. “It was sort of unplanned,”

She frowned at his explanation. “What do you mean unplanned?”

“It was supposed to be after eating the birthday pie, but I guess sometimes things just don’t go according to plan,” he elucidated.

“You had a plan? How was it supposed to go? Tell me everything!”. At this point, she was just messing with him.

“Shut up,” he said almost timidly. She pulled him back down for another kiss.

 

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20:07 PM

Seohyun was comfortably laying her back on Kyuhyun’s chest. They were relaxing on his couch, watching Knowing Brothers, her fingers drawing randomly on his thigh. “What are you doing tomorrow?” she asked.

“Hang out with Changmin and Minho. Feel free to join,” he told her.

She turned to look at him. His eyes were fixed on the TV screen. “They know about us?”

Without hesitation, he answered, “They will. Tomorrow,”. He lowered his eyes to meet hers. A confused expression masked her face. “Of course I’d tell them about my girlfriend,” he explained.

Seohyun smiled at him. It always amazed her how his friendship with Changmin and Minho never faltered. She surely didn’t want to come in between these best friends. Seohyun pouted her lips for a kiss and Kyuhyun gladly gave her a short peck. “I love you,” he proclaimed. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders and the other took hold of her hand.

“I love you” she said to him and gave him another kiss, a longer one. They fell silent as Hodong and Kyung Hoon had another fight on TV. When the episode ended, Kyuhyun leaned his head down to her ears and whispered,

 

 

 

“So, how about that bedroom celebration?”