Find the time

To read

                Countless raindrop after raindrop splattered onto the window as Leeteuk gazed from inside the room it was sheltering. He sat on the windowsill; a picture of complete serenity and silence. He stared outside without quite looking at anything, lost in the world known as his thoughts. He had quite a lot to ponder on, to ask himself – things along the lines of ‘I’ve done well,’ ‘what haven’t I reached?’ and ‘would it be okay to leave them, his brothers, soon?”. Lifting his hand softly to the glass to trace the lines that the raindrops left on the window, Leeteuk sighed. He worked day in, day out that he couldn’t quite remember when he was last like this… when he last felt this way.

The added weight on his lap snapped his attention away from the rain, turning his head to meet eyes that were so gentle. He arched an incredulous eyebrow, wordlessly asking what that certain object was doing on him. Sooyoung simply shrugged as she settled on the windowsill across him, freely stretching her long lower limbs in the remaining available cramped space. Leeteuk had opened his mouth to question her again when she brought out a book different from the one on his lap, flipping it open to where her bookmark laid. Pulling one of her legs closer to her chest, she propped the hand holding the book on her knee and he knew right there and then that he lost her attention.

Leeteuk sighed inaudibly; his hand finally picking up the one on his lap and brought it closer to his face. His eyes widened a fraction as he read the title, lowering the book so that he could stare at her in disbelief. Sooyoung still had her focus on the work of literature in her grasp but the corners of her lips twitched upwards. She had given him one of those books that he had been dying to read but had been forgotten too. Opening the book to the page that house the author’s dedication, his eyes widened more than it did at the sight that greeted him. The name of the author had been crossed out by ink, replaced by one written in the familiar handwriting he would never ever mistaken for anyone else’s. The message suddenly wasn’t for whoever random soul who would came across it. It was for him.

I’ll miss you.

Sooyoung

                Struggling not join the rain with waterworks of his own, he flipped to the first page of the novel with shaking hands. It had been a while since he last read a book… well, since he even had the time to consider reading one. Sighing in content, he leaned back against the wall and began to read; the rain and the world of fiction the only company he and Sooyoung had.  

Find the time

To smell flowers

Sooyoung had always found flowers to be very, very beautiful.

                It really didn’t matter to her what the color was – it could be red, white, blue or pink and it would still be very, very beautiful in her eyes. They always meant something even if it was differently among people. Flowers could be a symbol of love, of repentance… or nothing but a decoration to one’s home. Sooyoung’s eyes furrowed as she stared at the flowers before her. Taking a stem of white freesia away from its kind, she brought it up to her nose and smiled happily. Taking a few more stems of those along with some of pale purple lilacs and sweet peas, she handed the messy bouquet to the florist after smelling each one before turning around; her eyes locking with his still dazed ones.

                Donghae stood silently and not quite himself, not knowing what to say or do really. He had been to a flower shop one too many times than he cared to count; each time he wished he didn’t even have to go there to begin with… unless, of course, he was wooing a girl. His trips to the said place was always a quick, no fuss one. He’d pick a kind of flower, have a bouquet of them prepared and leave. But today was different; the bouquet suddenly pushed to his face was a testament to that; the dark haired man not having any other choice but to smell them… and he smiled.

Sooyoung beamed, pulling the bouquet away carefully from his face and held it carefully. “Do you think your father will like these, oppa?”

Find the time

To paint your dreams

Sungmin never tired of listening to Sooyoung.

                Sure, there were times when it seemed like she had way too much to say but he didn’t mind. There was always something to learn from her, something worth listening and remembering. It seemed like they had done it all – had  a life many would like to have without really understanding what had to be sacrificed… that he, himself, sometimes wished to have the life others had. They had been around the world, made people happy, experienced so many things unimaginable before. They were on top of the world. Sungmin knew it. Sooyoung knew it.

He really didn’t think there was anything more than what he had; that there was still so much more out there… which was why he loved to listen to her; listen to her talk endlessly about what she would still want to become, what she still would want to do while she could to them. She dreamed to eat this and that as was typical Sooyoung fashion. She dreamed to do more of what she was already doing. She dreamed of widening her already wide horizon, of having more within her reach.

Sungmin used to think he had everything he could ever want.

He did in a way.

He just realized he could still dream on, dream more even so.

Find the time

To have coffee with a friend

                Not many people had access to his house. Jaejoong made sure of that when he decided to live in an upscale neighbourhood with very commendable security and privacy. That in itself did nothing to explain why his doorbell was ringing through the house. He was sure it was neither Junsu nor Yoochun. They were understandably busy and would usually call when they were heading over. Same went for his manager and his family.

Praying to God, Buddha, Allah and all the gods and goddesses of Olympus that no one had bypassed the security, Jaejoong strode out of the kitchen and headed for the front door just as the doorbell sounded through his house again. Reaching out to press the button on his intercom even before he could stop in his tracks, Jaejoong nearly became one with the floor when the screen came to life.

“What took you so long, oppa!” Sooyoung whined as she stepped into his home without bothering to wait for him to let her in. “My hands are freezing!”

It had taken Jaejoong a good minute to two to get his balance back and his heartbeat beating a tad bit slower compared when he first saw her face on the screen… but it completely didn’t mean that he was back to normal. “What are you doing here?”

She rolled her eyes at the question, ing the two Starbucks frappe into his hand before taking it upon herself to close the door. “To have coffee with you, duh.”

“You went all the way here just for that?” He questioned, absently noting that one of the frappes was his favourite and was the size he usually got. “I have a coffee maker here, Soo.”

“Well, it wouldn’t be like the old times, oppa.”

Take the time

To learn a new craft

He couldn’t draw. It was a fact that Jung Yunho accepted after much scowling and pouting.

                He could definitely sing and dance… and probably half his way through acting to save his life but drawing was really nowhere even near the list of things he can do. That pretty much explained why he was making faces like he was five years old instead of twenty six while Sooyoung listened intently to the instructor by his side; her doe eyes wide and fascinated. She had pretty much dragged him to where they were at the moment – to drawing workshop no less – and insisted that it was time that they both learned something new… since her talent in drawing was pretty much non-existent too.

“We’ll start with probably one of the easiest forms of life to draw and also one of the easiest forms of creativity.” The instructor spoke to the class, hiding his amusement at the contrasting picture Sooyoung and Yunho made. “I would like you to draw a butterfly.”

“A butterfly?” Yunho all but sputtered incredulously.

“Oppa, behave.” Sooyoung not so kindly elbowed him in the ribs. “At least it’s not a hippopotamus.”

Take the time

To write a letter

                Heechul was probably one of the luckier ones enlisted in the military so to speak. Well, it really depended on the person’s outlook but it was safe to say anyone could understand why. For two years, he had to work like every other regular Korean citizen out there instead of spending his hours in the camp, training with artillery and such. He wouldn’t lie and say he wasn’t thankful because it was far from the truth. He got to live with his brothers whom he realized he loved so much when he was about to leave them for a month. He wasn’t completely away from what and who he loved – Twitter included. He was still near the life he knew, not quite in it but near enough still.

Apparently, he was not near enough as far as a certain Choi Sooyoung was concerned.

                It wasn’t really a total shock when he got his first letter from her but because he was still having his one month training then. What came more and more as a shock every time it happened was when a handwritten letter from her came often along with the rest of the letters from the fans. The letters weren’t absolutely necessary, he reasoned to himself at first. Everything she said there could be said through text, call or even in person.

He thought of it that way until he started hearing about how she would take time in the midst of her busy schedule to write him a letter, writing in the plane or in the car, while waiting in the dressing room, before going to bed late at night or early in the morning depending on who was being asked.

Heechul suddenly never felt more appreciated in life.

Take the time

To bake a surprise cake

Kris didn’t really expect that he would nearly have a cake smacked into his face when he opened the door of the training room.

                Stepping back in surprise, a beat or two passed before his brain acknowledged the person holding the said cake, who was also smiling sheepishly at him before letting him know that she was on her way in when he opened the door. Kris could only stutter a greeting and bow rapidly before stepping aside, allowing her to go in. It was a miracle to him that Sooyoung was there with a cake, knowing well that she was capable and probably willing to eat the whole thing herself.

“What gives?” He asked when he found his voice.

“You do know that I recently got into baking, right?” The tall brunette answered cheerfully, turning away momentarily to answer the greetings of the eleven other men in the room.

Kris nodded slowly. “Uh huh… Last I heard you were learning how to bake cupcakes. That isn’t a cupcake.”

“What can I say? I’m a fast learner.” Sooyoung smiled smugly, handing the cake to Tao before handing the bag of utensils and plates to Luhan.

An eyebrow arched. “So you mean to tell me you can bake other cakes aside from a chocolate cake?”

“Well… no.” She pouted when he looked like he was going to burst out in laughter. “I learned how to bake this because I heard you like it most of all and I wanted to surprise all of you with something I made because you guys worked so hard and…”

Kris had stopped listening, promptly getting the cake from Tao so that he could get the first, big slice.

Take the time

To go somewhere special

Kyuhyun didn’t really understand why he was where he was.

                A Starcraft – or gaming in general – addict he may be but that didn’t mean he lost attention to the other things in life. He was probably not known to have the biggest of hearts but that didn’t mean he didn’t care about anything else. So he really didn’t mind when Sooyoung had appeared in front of him earlier that day to drag him – along with his laptop – with her and now here he was standing in Park Seungil’s hospital room. Of course, he knew about his condition and the deep friendship he had shared with Sooyoung and even Donghae, Siwon, Yoona and Seohyun. That led him to question why he was the one with her and not one of the others.

                He had been offered countless times to come for a visit but he never did found it himself to say yes. It wasn’t really because he wasn’t that close to the former basketball coach. It was more of because of what emotions he knew would stir in him when he does decide to go. He never really understood why that big, white hospital room was such a special place not because he was some heartless bastard. Kyuhyun knew what it was like to be confined into such a place – how hard, agonizing and pitiful it was… and he didn’t want to see Park Seungil and feel that way for the older man. He didn’t want to feel pity for him because he knew he deserved more than that.

Sooyoung felt his questioning gaze on her and turned to smile at him. “Seungil oppa said he wants to see you play Starcraft.”

Kyuhyun let his jaw drop slightly at that that; his eyes hesitantly moving to Park Seungil’s girlfriend, who was standing by the side and smiling encouragingly at him. That was when he understood why that room was so special and why there was something that always drew his friend in. He understood what it was – he felt it.

Love.

Take the time

To REALLY be with the person you love

Busy, packed schedules really did mean prioritizing, sacrificing and even pretending.

                Changmin could only sigh as he padded around the silent dorm, not really minding that Yunho was away on schedule and he was alone. Times like this were rare when he actually had time to breathe, time to do nothing… time to miss her. They were frequently together but not quite; always a foot away or so from each other on the same stage or the same room or the same hallway in the same building but not really together. They were frequently with each other and but not quite in the strictest sense of the word. Did that even make sense? He really didn’t know.

Doorbell rang. He went to answer. Sooyoung came in with food, DVDs, board games and viola in tow, dropping a kiss on his startled lips.

That was really the story of their day.

                Sooyoung had lost to him two games to one in Scrabble. She had gotten the victory in Monopoly. They finished the food in record time not without quarrelling who was eating what each time and they always ended up sharing everything. Thor, Charlie St. Cloud and Three Idiots had made their rounds inside the DVD player. After all was said and done, SNSD’s Sooyoung had appeared in his sight once more as she practiced playing the viola with him watching beside her and he didn’t mind how work intruded their private time together.

Because he felt that he was really with her… not anymore just in the same place but feeling like they were miles apart.

Take the time

To do nothing for a while

                Neatly folding the nth letter she had written for Heechul since his enlistment and tucking the paper into a white envelope, Sooyoung sighed in contentment. Sure she had gotten home a little late after the day of board games, DVDs, food and viola practicing with Changmin but she felt accomplished. A part of her wondered how she was able to do all those she had done considering how time limited her but it was  job well done nonetheless.

                Letting the memories of today and the past days flood her mind – memories of her and Leeteuk reading books and how he marked the dedication page with a bookmark, of her going to the cemetery with Donghae to visit his father, of listening to Sungmin go on and on about all his dreams in life, of Yunho posting his butterfly drawing in the room much to Changmin’s amusement, of how Jaejoong made her promise that they’d have coffee again soon, of how the Exo boys fought over the chocolate cake that Kris hoarded, of Kyuhyun playing extra harder and better at Starcraft because Park Seungil was watching and of how Changmin had watched her practice playing the viola with this look of pride on his handsome face.

                A content sigh escaped her lips as she moved to the bed; Jessica already snoring away in her own. Lying down on the soft mattress, she thought about what else is there she had to do or she wanted to do. Then, she realized that there was nothing else really.

She didn’t mind the slightest.