Andante - Super Junior

Narrator's POV

"Leaving again?" L.Joe asked, making Chunji stop tossing random clothes from his wardrobe to an empty suitcase. The singer just replied with a shrug and continued, while the rapper just sat at the edge of the bed as he watched him pack. "So where are you planning to go?" he pressed. "To my parents," said Chunji, "which now seems a bad idea since they've been so eager to meet Min Yu."

He closed his luggage and settled on the space beside L.Joe. "It's been only how many days and getting back with her already seems too late," he fished his phone out of his pocket, unlocking the screen which blared their picture together...not that he ever bothered to change it. "Don't you think it'd be easier for you to move on if you could see her regularly and not punish yourself with distance? I mean, breaking up doesn't equal to excommunication, and seeing each other after separation doesn't mean you two would instantly get back together," L.Joe explained.

Chunji buried his face in his hands. "God knows how many text messages I've typed in, telling her to take me back, or I'm sorry, or that I still love her, but I never even dared sent and just bulked up in my phone," he groaned, almost fighting the urge to cry in front of his fellow Teen Top member. L.Joe rested his arm on the other's shoulder, trying to comfort him although he knows it won't help even a bit.

"Do you really know how it feels," Chunji looked up with his eyes b in tears, "to love someone for a painfully long time, then let them go, just so they could be happy? And to think, I was the one who asked for this, for ALL of this to happen. Yet in the end, I caused my own pain, my own suffering, my own hell. Eight long years...and I'm just going to throw it all away."

"We were less than an inch close from a lifetime, from forever. But if me letting her go doesn't make any sense, I don't know what else does. I wake up and call her to ask if she already ate breakfast. After a few hours, I make sure she's safe at work. I'll invite her to eat lunch with me, then drop her off to the university. Man, I don't even have a life of my own! My every second, every minute, every hour of everyday was built around her. And after we broke up, it's as if I'm a house of cards without foundation."

L.Joe, even as a man of few words, didn't know what to say. What kind of friend wouldn't want to give someone in trouble even a piece of advice? But of course, despite the fact that he had already been in and out of relationships for the past few years, eight years was no joke. It was hard to grow up individually without growing apart, but then there they were, still inseparable...or at least, used to be.

Min Yu's POV

My eyes fluttered open, blinking a few times to adjust to the darkness. The sun had already set without me realizing that I had dozed off for such a long time. I checked my phone, only to see 6 unanswered calls from Donghae. I stared at the screen blankly and got startled as it began to ring loudly. "Yoboseyo?" I answered in an irritated mood. I had fallen asleep on my couch and my back hurts from the strain.

"Hey," Donghae greeted. "Oh. Hi. Sorry I never called you back. I fell asleep and I just woke up," I stood up and stretched, wincing as my back felt like an old person's.

"Did I wake you up?" he asked, his voice worked up with a thick edge of worry. I smiled and imagined how his face might have looked like in distress. "No. Not really. Are you still practicing?" I responded, walking over to the kitchen and helping myself to a glass of water.

"Just finished. Can I come over?"

"Sure. Why not?"

"Oh. I mean, there's no way you could've said no. Even if you did decline, you couldn't do anything about it either," he replied. "So can you open your door for me? As in, right now?"

A smile formed across my lips as I downed the water and rushed to the front door to let him in. He held plastic bags in his hands, a bag slung over his shoulder and a wide grin on his face. "What's that?" I gestured to his load. "Well, I figured you haven't eaten yet. So I wanted to cook for you," he replied with an eye smile that made my heart flutter. "Come in," I motioned him inside, pushing the door to open wider and closing it shut after he entered.

He quickly got to work without much ado and welcomed himself in my kitchen. "So what would you cook?" I asked, sitting atop the counter beside the ingredients he had laid out. His hands moved gracefully while chopping the vegetables, unlike me who would already cut my own finger before the meal could even be finished and served.

"Soondubu jjigae, soft and tender like me," he smiled proudly.

I stuck my tongue out and walked towards him. "Don't say that. I'll lose my appetite," I teased, creeping up behind him and snaking my arms around his muscular waist as he started to boil water into a pot. "Are you still mad at me?" he asked softly over the bubbling sounds over the stove. "Let me think about it," I snickered, burying my face on his back.

"Min Yu..." he whined. "Fine. I wasn't really angry. Just frustrated and confused," I confessed. "Right, because there's no reason for you to snap back at me like that. Besides, why would you believe someone you've only known for less than an hour? I never believed you would be that gullible. Whatever she told you about me, those weren't true. That wasn't me," he explained.

"Then where should I start?" I asked.

"On what?"

"On getting to know you better."

I left my spot behind him and moved to his side, leaning against the counter as I watched him cook. "Well, for one, you're not the one millionth," Donghae said, making us both laugh lightly. I was lucky to have Donghae around, and although the back of my mind still screams that I'm just using him as a rebound, I'm trying to convince my own self that I have loved long before.

After half an hour, he was done cooking and started complaining on how it would have taken him less time to make soondubu jjigae if it wasn't for me who kept chattering with him about useless things. We both headed to the dining table and started eating. "Can I sleepover?" he asked with a puppy dog look in his eyes. "Sure. You do know I already have work tomorrow, right?" I replied, before blowing on the hot soup and put a portion in my mouth.

"Why don't you just quit?" he suggested, making the hot soup stuck in my throat and almost go down my air tube.

"You're kidding, right? Of course I can't," I protested after calming myself down with a glass of water. "Why not? All I want you to do is study and finish law school," he said with a grim look on his face. "I'm not relying on scholarship," I defended. "Quit your job and I'll pay for your last year in the university, full and in cash. I want to buy a house just for the two of us, and you'd be there whenever I come home," he offered.

"Whoa, whoa, stop right there. You want us to live together, but you're not even my boyfriend yet. And I won't ever rely on you and your money, even if you could, in fact, buy the whole school," I argued. "You're hurting my ego here. I just offered to pay for your studies and buy a house where we could be together, and all you have to do in return is quit your job and live with me. People would be dying to be in your position right now," he looked offended.

"Quit being so full of yourself. I hate it when you're like that," I complained. "Fine then. I'll save all my plans and tell you all about it after you become my girlfriend," he mumbled to himself. "Believe me. I'd love to hear it soon," I nodded and we resumed eating the meal for dinner he had especially made himself. I washed the dishes afterwards as he took his time in the bathroom, taking a shower.

When he went out, I was busily flipping through channels on the television. And then it was my turn to run a quick, refreshing bath before going to sleep. After getting dressed, I plopped down on the sofa beside him. "You're done?" he asked. "Uhh...obviously. Why?" I raised an eyebrow questioningly as he scrutinized my face. "I thought you put different kinds of cream and all that makeup in your face," he lifted my chin with his finger.

"For your information, I don't put anything on my face. It will just make my skin itchy and red. I don't even know how to put lipstick on," I commented. "What are you doing?" I asked as he rummaged through his bag. He presented me with a small pouch full of his own stuff. "This is what you call brush," he informed like I was some kind of cave man, "It's used for putting makeup."

I laughed at his teaching skills, which lacked more than mine. "This is a mascara, used for putting something in the eyes," he continued. "What 'something' does it add to the eyes?" I challenged. "It makes the eyes look...prettier," he answered, to which I just chuckled. "What's the difference between these two?" I asked, comparing two different cosmetics.

"That one's a lip balm. I think it's used to moisturize the lips. The other one's a lip gloss. It's to make the lips...glossy and shiny," he added. "You really have a way with words, don't you?" I had a hard time controlling my laughter. "And this is called BB cream. It's really good for the face and makes the skin soft and smooth. I'm supposed to put this on every night but I'm too lazy," he said and stuffed everything in his bag.

Donghae's POV

"Ya," she grabbed the cream from my hands, "Don't be so stubborn. Put this on." I shook my head defiantly and stomped my feet. "Aniyo. I don't want," I pouted in protest.

"Ah! I'll be the one to put this on you so I can experience handling makeup," she bit her lip and nodded in excitement. If it would make her THAT happy, why not let her treat me like a doll and play with my face?

"Aish. Fine," I gave up with a sigh. She clapped her hands in joy and even made an attempt to tie my hair. "My hair's too short. You don't have to fix it," I complained. She hit my arm with a brush before settling in front of me. She brushed my hair gently and carefully, paying attention to even the small details, despite the fact that it'll be messed up anyway when I sleep.

I stole a kiss from her forehead before she went ahead and applied cream on my face. "After this, I'll put some on your face too," I volunteered, but she declined. "My face would get irritated," she stated as-a-matter-of-factly. "Heechul's face gets irritated too if he eats something too sweet," I said. Her face fell, and I mentally slapped myself for bringing up the subject.

"Do you really think he'll still talk to me?" she asked softly, her fingers trailing from my cheeks to my nose. "He will soon. Don't worry. And if you want, I'll go talk to him too," I replied. "What if he doesn't?" she pressed, applying cream on the last inch of my face before tossing the container to my open bag. "Think positively. And anyway, when is Leeteuk hyung coming home?" I steered the conversation to some other topic.

"Let's call him," she said and dialed her father's number in her phone. She pressed the phone against her ear and I also cocked my head to her side to hear more of his responses. It took about three rings before Leeteuk could answer. "Yes, Min Yu, I already bought chocolates for you. What else do you want?" he greeted instead of the normal hello.

"Jinjja? Appa, when are you coming back?" she had a wide smile on her face. "Ya, hyung. You should buy me a present or something," I butted in, earning me a nudge from Min Yu. "Who was that? Donghae?" he asked curiously. "Yeah. He's here with me. So when are you coming back home?" she repeated impatiently. "I still have something to do, but I'll be back there Tuesday afternoon probably," he answered.

"Oh. Take care, appa. Bye," she said and hung up.

I shrugged after seeing the obvious disappointment written all over her face. "We'll just have to wait for him until Tuesday then," I said. She stood up and walked over to her bed. "Sleeping already?" I asked. "I still have to get up early tomorrow," she responded, climbing up the mattress and burying herself under the thick blanket. I switched the television and lights off before laying down beside her. I snuggled closer to her, putting my arms around her and feeling the warmth our bodies made. "Tell me  something," I requested, lowering my face to level hers.

"Do you love me?" I asked.

She smiled and leaned closer to kiss me. "Of course. If I don't, then I wouldn't have kissed you despite the cream on your face," she chuckled, "I always want you near. Don't go anywhere far, because I'll miss you. Plus, you have lots of things to tell me. I'd love to listen to your stories, whether it be sad, happy, or plain nonsense. I just love hearing your voice and seeing you because it makes my day," she muttered against my lips, her every word like music to my ears.

"So...will you be my girlfriend now?" I demanded. She just smiled with her eyes closed. "You may be good at cooking soondubu jjigae, and may know a thing or two about makeup, but not yet," she replied. "Why not?" I pressed as she rolled on her side, her back turning to face me. She fumbled for something in her phone before handing it to me. Her screen's wallpaper was a picture of her and Chunji.

"Give me time," said Min Yu, "It wasn't easy."