Two years later.

Sungmin and Sunny were chilling out at some pub on a Friday evening. It was really one of the rare occasions where Sungmin could enjoy a Friday evening off and to be able to spend time with a friend.

Sungmin had been working as at Max for the last two years. That was his day job. At nights, he would work in a gay bar named Cassiopeia ran by a late thirty-something gay guy called Kim Junsu. He was a friendly person and the club was really popular with gay men. He was also a caring boss and knowing that Sungmin was all alone in Seoul and without a considerable income, offered him a small room to stay in the club. And for this, Sungmin was grateful.

Sungmin and Sunny had already finished their first round of drinks. Sunny asked Sungmin to get another round of drinks.

He approached the bar counter and headed for the bartender that seemed free. The bartender was looking downwards when Sungmin said, “Could I have a fruit punch and a beer please?”

“Sure,” the bartender replied as he lifted his head up to face the customer.

“Sungmin-hyung.”

“Kyuhyun.”

The two boys called out each other’s name at the same time when their gazes settled on the other.

“What are you doing here?” both of them exclaimed at the same time.

They stared at each other and laughed.

“Well, I work here,” Kyuhyun said. “Let me get you your orders first.”

Kyuhyun came back with a fruit punch and a glass of beer. “That will be XXX Won.”

Sungmin handed some dollar bills over to Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun still looked the same like before just had his hair was longer.

“So Kyuhyun-ah, shouldn’t you be in university or something? The last time you told me that you had wanted to become a lawyer. So why are you here then? Didn’t you make it to law school?”

Kyuhyun smiled. “I did make it there with a bursary that covers my tuition fees. But I still need money to eat and to pay for my dorm. So I have to work. Anyway I work here on Friday and Saturday nights. And I do some other part jobs during the weekdays. Thanks for the concern. How about you?”

“I’m fine too. I’m still working as a waiter. And I work in a gay bar.”

“Gay bar?” Kyuhyun raised his eyebrows in curiosity.

It was then that Sungmin realised that he had just revealed too much information. He laughed awkwardly. “It’s called Cassiopeia. The owner is pretty nice. He gives me a small room to live in and I don’t have to pay rent.”

“That’s good,” Kyuhyun smiled. “So did you manage to find that friend of yours?”

Sungmin sighed. “No. We lost contact totally. Anyway, it’s nice to see you again Kyuhyun. I have to get back to my friend.”

Sungmin took up the drinks and was about to turn and leave when Kyuhyun called out for him. “Hyung, are you free for dinner on Sunday?”

Sungmin was a little surprised at Kyuhyun’s invitation.

Kyuhyun grabbed a small paper and scribbled some numbers on it. He folded the paper, leaned over the counter and put it into Sungmin’s shirt pocket.

“This is my number. Call me. We can arrange the time and place.”

Sungmin smiled and nodded and returned to Sunny with the drinks.

……

Kyuhyun was feeling distracted from the moment he rose late morning on Saturday. Although he was staring at his textbook, he was unable to concentrate, stealing glances at the telephone, waiting it for it to ring.

It was already late afternoon but the phone call he had been anticipating had yet to come. He ruffled his hair in frustration. “Aish! Cho Kyuhyun. Why didn’t you ask for his number? Why are you so full of yourself?”

Stupid, stupid, stupid, Kyuhyun let out a litany of curses.

Does it mean that I would never get to see him again?

Wait, didn’t he tell me he works in a bar? What’s the name? Aish! I can’t remember! What’s wrong with you? You can remember all the laws and statutes in the books but you can’t remember the name of a place. You’re a failure.

Kyuhyun slumped in his chair, disappointment written all over his face.

I guess we’re not meant to be then.

Kyuhyun sighed and busied himself with his studies. It was about early evening when the telephone rang. Kyuhyun excitedly bounced off his chair and dashed towards the phone.

With trembling hands, Kyuhyun picked up the phone and whispered, “Yobeoseyo.”

“Is this Kyuhyun?” a familiar voice asked.

Kyuhyun’s heart leapt as he heard the voice.

“Kyuhyun here.”

“I’m Sungmin. I’m sorry for taking so long to call you. I’ve been meaning to call you earlier.”

“It’s alright. I’m glad that you called. I guess you must have been busy at work.”

“I have. Anyway do you think you could come over to where I work tomorrow evening? We can have dinner here. I’ll find a spot where we won’t be disturbed.”

“But wouldn’t your boss mind?”

“He won’t. I’ll be off by seven. Is seven alright for you?”

“Ne.”

Sungmin then gave Kyuhyun the address and directions to Max to which Kyuhyun quickly scribbled down. They said their goodbyes and there was a broad smile on Kyuhyun’s face.

……

Kyuhyun slipped on his best shirt and a pair of pants. He checked himself in the mirror and satisfied with himself, quickly headed out on his date with Sungmin.

Sungmin greeted him with a smile as Kyuhyun stepped into Max and showed Kyuhyun to their seats in a corner of the restaurant.

“So what do you want to have Kyuhyun?” Sungmin asked. “The food is all western. I hope you’re fine with it.

“That’s alright. Since you work here, what would you recommend?”

“Spaghetti Carbonara. I’ll never get sick eating that.”

“I’ll have it then.”

“Do you want any drinks? Hot or cold?”

“I’ll let you decide.”

“I’ll be back in five minutes. Excuse me.”

Kyuhyun nodded. 

Sungmin returned with two tall glasses and set them down on the table. “I look the liberty of making you a cold drink. You can choose between the iced coffee latte or the ice blended latte. The ice blended latte is the one with whipped cream, chocolate sauce and cherry.”

“Did you make both yourself?” Kyuhyun asked?

Sungmin nodded.

“They look so good that I don’t know which one to choose.”

“Well have the ice blended latte then,” Sungmin said as he pushed the glass over to Kyuhyun then.

Kyuhyun took a sip of the drink and remarked, “It’s good.”

“Thanks, it’s really nothing.”

There was an air of awkwardness between them as they waited for their food to arrive.

Sungmin was the first to speak. “So Kyuhyun-ah, it’s good to know that you made it to law school. I always knew you would make it. You were always working hard.”

Kyuhyun’s eyes brightened a little before darkening. “It’s really hard. Sometimes I wonder if I made the right decision.”

“Why do you even want to be a lawyer?”

“Because I want to help make a difference in people’s lives.”

“Then you should’ve just been a social worker.”

Kyuhyun paused for a while. “I guess as a lawyer, you have more money, power, status and influence to have a voice.”

“Isn’t that a materialistic way of putting it?” Sungmin asked.

“I don’t disagree. If you are poor just like me, you’ll understand. But I would like to be able help the poor who need the justice they deserve. That said, I don’t mind working for the rich either.”

“But what happens if your client is guilty of a crime? Wouldn’t it go against your conscience?”

“My job is to get the best possible outcome for my client whether he is guilty or not. But then again, I’m only in my first year. I might not want to go into criminal law. Law is so wide. I could focus on civil law or contracts.”

Sungmin nodded.

“So what about yourself? Have you figured out what you want to do?”

Sungmin nodded. “Open my own eatery. It doesn’t have to be a big place. A small one which I could comfortably run would suffice.”

“You’ll have to save up for that.”

“That’s why I am taking on two jobs.”

“Why start a café?”

“I want to have a place for gay teenagers to hang out and make friends without the fear of being bullied or looked down by others.”

“Hyung, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“Are you gay?”

Sungmin was taken a little aback at Kyuhyun’s question. “You’re pretty direct…”

“Hyung, mianhae. If you don’t want to answer…”

“That’s alright. Yes, Kyuhyun-ah, I’m gay. That was the reason why I left home. My parents found out. They couldn’t accept me. They wanted me to change, to get married but I refused. So I left home.”

“And that’s the reason you came to Seoul.”

Sungmin nodded. “So Kyuhyun-ah, are you gay?”

“I don’t know. I have not really thought about it. I never dated anyone my entire life.”

Sungmin laughed.”But have you liked anyone before?”

Kyuhyun blushed.

“Is it that hyung who lived with you?”

“No!” Kyuhyun exclaimed. “Definitely not Yesung hyung.”

Sungmin giggled at Kyuhyun’s response. “Kyuhyun-ah, why that big a reaction?”

“Because Yesung hyung is so not my type.”

“So who or what is your type then?”

Kyuhyun felt his heart beat faster. Just as he was about to utter something, he was interrupted by Sungmin’s colleague bringing out two plates of food and setting the plates down – the pasta on Kyuhyun’s side and what looks to be like fish on Sungmin’s side. Kyuhyun cursed at the bad timing.

“Well, tuck in,” Sungmin said. He motioned for his colleague to bring him a smaller plate which the person did. Sungmin then cut out half of the fish and put it on the small plate and pushed it over to Kyuhyun. “Here, have some of mine. It’s grilled herb-crusted fish.”

“But what about you? Is this enough for you?”

“Don’t worry about me. I can always have some dessert.”

They ate their meal in silence.

“So, back to my earlier question,” Sungmin said after their meal was done. This caused Kyuhyun to swallow his saliva nervously. “So what’s your type?”

“Someone who is caring and loving, pays attention to details,” Kyuhyun rattled off.

Sungmin nodded and he stood up. “Excuse me. I’m going to get us some dessert.”

He returned not long with two cups filled with a mousse like substance.

“It’s tiramisu. We prepare it ourselves. Have a try,” Sungmin said as he offered a cup to Kyuhyun.

“It’s really sweet and yummy. I taste coffee and a hint of alcohol. What do you use in this?”

“Biscuits soaked in coffee, egg yolks, sugar, mascarpone cheese, and liquor and dusted with cocoa powder. These are just about the main ingredients.”

“Sounds easy.”

“You need to get the hang of it. I prepared it myself today.”

“Really, then I should really savour every bit of it,” Kyuhyun said as he put another spoonful into his mouth.

“By the way tiramisu means pick me up.”

Kyuhyun cocked his eyes at what Sungmin said. It was then he received a courage boost and asked, “Do you like me hyung?”

It was Sungmin’s turn to feel startled by Kyuhyun’s question.  

“Kyuhyun-ah...” Sungmin stuttered. “I guess I do…somewhat…”

“Then why didn’t you come and find me? You always had my address.”

“Because I don’t know what you feel about me. Because you were too young then. Because I don’t know how you would react if I told you I’m gay,” Sungmin blurted out. Sungmin was on the verge of tears.

“Well, I like you too, hyung. But I don’t know if it is that kind of like. And I’m okay with you being gay. Even if you had told me then, I would still have liked to have you around.”

Sungmin’s face brightened at Kyuhyun’s words.

“Hyung,” Kyuhyun said. “Would you like to go out with me again?”

“Sure.”

“I would be having a performance two weeks later. It’s on a Friday afternoon at around three. Would you be able to come?

“Performance?”

Kyuhyun nodded enthusiastically. “I’ve joined this performance club where we perform pop songs and dances. I don’t really dance though.”

“You can sing?” Sungmin’s eyes widened. “But I never heard you sing.”

“I do. I usually just sing to myself. I was kind of shy. But thanks to Yesung hyung who likes to sing as well, he encouraged me to open up a little and sing. I only started in my final year of high school. Somehow singing helps me to relax so I decided to join the club.”

“So hyung,” Kyuhyun continued, “Would you be able to come for the performance?””

“Let me ask my manager if I can have about three hours off in the afternoon. He’s not around at the moment. I’ll give you a call to let you know.”

“Sure.”

……

Sungmin found himself at the gates of one of Seoul’s most prestigious universities as he glanced at the towering structure of the university in awe.

Sungmin traipsed past many students he headed to the performance hall. He was truly happy for Kyuhyun to be able to embark on his path towards his dreams. But Sungmin knew it within himself that university was not meant for him.

Sungmin found his seat. It was four rows from the stage which meant that he would have quite a good view of the performers. Kyuhyun had passed him the ticket at Sungmin’s workplace a few days earlier. They chatted briefly over a drink as Kyuhyun was busy.

Sungmin fidgeted in his seat. For the first thirty minutes, there was no sign of Kyuhyun, just some singing and dance performances until the emcee said, “Let us welcome KRY which elicited cheers and thunderous applause.”

Sungmin was able to recognise Kyuhyun from the three boys despite the three boys being dressed in oversized, shiny and funky clothes. Sungmin giggled to himself as he thought, “This is so not Kyuhyun’s style.”

Just then one of three boys caught his eye – the short petite boy that was on Kyuhyun’s left. He looked really familiar. Just as Sungmin thought hard of where he had seen the guy before, the trio began to introduce themselves. “Annyeong-haseyo, KRY-imnida.”

“Annyeong haseyo, KRY Cho Kyuhyun-imnida.”

“Annyeong haseyo, KRY Kim Ryeowook-imnida.”

And Sungmin’s ears pricked up.

Wookie? Is that the Wookie I know or do they just have the same name? The Wookie I know is fat. But the Ryeowook on stage still looks so familiar. I don’t believe it. Did he lose weight? I really need to ascertain that he is the Wookie I know.

Just then the music started and KRY launched into a dance routine with some nifty footwork and swinging arm movements as the music to the popular hit song by Seo Taiji and The Boys Nan Arayo (I Know) sounded. It started with Kyuhyun rapping before the three boys came together to sing together.

Sungmin could not help but feel tickled by the entire performance. The three guys were clearly trying hard, but this song was so not their genre. But no doubt, those three guys were vocally superior. He was surprised by both Ryeowook and Kyuhyun.

The three boys finished their song and left the stage promising that they would be back. They returned to stage shortly later dressed in matching dark blue jeans and blazers. They came together to perform a ballad – Kim Kwang Seok’s On the Street. The audience were silent as the soulful voices of KRY penetrated the hall. Their voices were in their element.

As KRY received yet another thunderous applause following their performance, Sungmin could hear murmurs from the audience commenting that they should just debut as a boy group straightaway.

It was time for their individual stages. First up was Kyuhyun.

“Annyeong haseyo, Kyuhyun-imnida. I’m going to perform two songs today. The first is a 1974 song I Will Give You Everything I Have written by Lee Janghee from the movie The Stars’ Heavenly Home. I am dedicating it to a friend who is in the audience today. This friend is an extremely thoughtful and good person and I am thankful for meeting his person. The second song is Making Memories by Kim Hyung Sik. I hope you would enjoy both performances.”

Sungmin could feel his heart beat faster and his face getting a little warm when he heard what Kyuhyun said.

Kyuhyun gave a signal to the band and the music started.

This time Sungmin could hear Kyuhyun’s voice on its own clearly. His voice had a rich texture to it. It was soulful and he hit all the high notes beautifully.  As much as Sungmin was captivated by Kyuhyun’s vocals, he felt that it could do with more emotion. Perhaps it was because he was only 19 and had not yet experienced love. But still it was a good effort.

It was Ryeowook’s and Yesung’s time to perform their solo stage and both of them did not fail to amaze Sungmin with their vocals. Ryeowook’s voice was clear while Yesung deep tone was b with emotions.

As soon as the afternoon’s performance ended, Sungmin nudged his way through the enthusiastic and energetic crowd towards backstage. The door was opened. Sungmin stood outside the door, peering in for a look, unsure whether to go in. Just then a girl appeared at the door right in front of Sungmin’s face just as he was pacing up and down, startling Sungmin.

“Hi, can I help you?” she asked.

“Uh…uh…I’m looking for someone.”

“Do you want me to get him or her for you?”

“Sure. Thank you,” Sungmin said.

“Who are you looking for?”

“Cho Kyuhyun. Tell him Sungmin is waiting for him.”

“Sure. Just wait here for a while. I’ll try to get him.”

Not long after, Sungmin saw a familiar figure approach the doorway. Kyuhyun was all smiles. His eyes glittered with excitement.

“Hyung!” Kyuhyun called out and hugged Sungmin.

Sungmin was taken aback by Kyuhyun’s sudden display of affection.

“So did you like it? Did you like it? Did you like my performance? Tell me! Tell me!” he asked excitedly.

“It blew my mind away. I didn’t know you can sing so well.”

Kyuhyun beamed proudly. “Gomawo. Thank you for coming. It really means a lot that you’re here. My solo stage was dedicated to you.”

And Sungmin recollected the words Kyuhyun had said before his solo performance, and the former blushed.

Kyuhyun grabbed Sungmin’s hand, “Come on, let’s go in. I want you to meet the rest of KRY.”

……

“Yesung-hyung, this is Sungmin-hyung. He was the one who stayed with us while you were away.”

The boy with the big head nodded with a wide smile. “Annyeong haseyo Sungmin-ssi. It’s so nice to finally you – the one who stocked our cabinets with food. Kyuhyun had spoken quite a bit about you.”

“Annyeong haseyo Yesung ssi. It’s so nice to meet you as well. You really have a good voice.”

“Thank you.”

There was a boy studying Sungmin curiously and silently from a distance. He approached Yesung, Kyuhyun and Sungmin.

“Hey Wookie,” Kyuhyun greeted. “I’ve been looking for you. This is …”

“Are you Sungmin-hyung? Lee Sungmin?” the petite boy asked.

“Kim Ryeowook. Were you the chubby Ryeowook?”

Ryeowook nodded and he started to cry before throwing himself at Sungmin for a hug. “Hyung!”

“You know each other?” Kyuhyun asked with mouth agape.

“He was the friend I was looking for but lost in contact him.”
 

“Oh!”

“Hyung,” Ryeowook squeaked. “I didn’t know you come to Seoul.”

“I’ve been here for two years. I tried looking for you when I first arrived but you moved.”

“Oh!”

“It’s so funny that we should reunite like this. I didn’t expect you to be a student here,” Sungmin remarked.

“So what brought you to Seoul?” Ryeowook asked.

“Long story,” Sungmin replied. “I’ll tell you another time.”

Ryeowook nodded. Both Sungmin and him exchanged contacts and promised to meet up one day.

Kyuhyun spoke to Sungmin for a while, before the latter had to take his leave to return to work.

……

The friendship between Kyuhyun and Sungmin continued to blossom. They would meet up once or twice a week. Kyuhyun would come to Sungmin’s place of work during the late afternoon hours where the place was not crowded. He would sit at one corner to study while Sungmin would sometimes accompany him. Sometimes they would go out for meals and an occasional shopping trip, movie or outing.

Sungmin could not help but notice that Kyuhyun would sometimes be yawning away when they went out. He noticed that Kyuhyun had started to develop dark rings round his eyes. Sungmin was concerned whether Kyuhyun was getting enough rest and when he broached the subject to Kyuhyun, Kyuhyun would always reassure Sungmin that he was alright.

Deep down inside, Sungmin had an idea. He wanted to take care of Kyuhyun so that Kyuhyun could just fully concentrate on his studies and not work.

But he has yet to find the opportunity to broach that subject with Kyuhyun until that day. 

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I'm so sorry for taking this long to update. *Bows deeply*

I've been meaning to update this early. But with the whole AFF server thing going on, I've decided to wait a bit before it stabilises.

Well, that's an excuse. I've been a busy lazy and busy after getting back from a trip to Hokkaido. Had been feeling a little lost and depressed over some things. And with a lack of inspiration, the story has been kind of delayed. The inspiration is still not all back yet, but I'll try. And yes, I'm still as lost, terrified, uncertain, worried and depressed over some stuff but I guess there's going to be a silver lining out there I hope. 

Anyway I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the KyuMin's couple reunion. And there you have it, Ryeowook and Yesung. Well, I didn't imply that they're a couple here as yet, but you guys know what will happen later right? 

Anyway, if you're interested in the song Making Memories, Infinite's WooHyun performed this song at Immortal Song 2. You can click for the video here. And it has English subs. 

And Seo Taiji and the boys were quite a big hit then back in the early nineties - probably the Big Bang/SJ of the time. You can search Youtube for the song. Seriously I can't imagine KRY doing a song like this. 

Meanwhile you can catch Infinite's Sunggyu performing I Will Give You Everything I have on Immortal Song 2 here. It has the English translation of the lyrics. 

So I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please continue to be generous with your comments. And please subscribe to this if you have yet to. 

Do check out  and comment on my other fan fics if you have not already done so.

My other fan fics

KyuMin: Almost a love story

KyuMin: 60 Days 

It's You (너라고) Neorago (a YeWook fan-fic)