His slender fingers slowly picked out a soft tune, one of his favorites, one he always played. One that reminded him of SooHyun. It always started this way, his hands finding that simple melody, his mind racing with images, his eyes fluttering shut as he allowed the images to wash over him.

That time was no different.

The simple melody began to morph beneath his touch, chords darkening and filling the spaces, his voice softly and wordlessly joining the melody, a counter-melody flowing from his fingertips. All the while, the flood of memories worked ceaselessly to drown him.

He began to sing along.

“오늘도 그대 내게 인사하죠, 날 보며 환한 미소 짓죠." A lilting accompaniment whispered along in the background, but he was focusing on neither the words nor the piano.

He saw the first time SooHyun had ever met him. He had smiled warmly, shaken his hand with a smile reminiscent of his lovable personality, blinked a few times, and moved out of the way for the next person. That memory was the simplest. He liked that memory.

"종일 내맘은 온통 그대 생각 뿐이죠, 이럴땐 어떡하죠?" 

The next memory always stung. He didn't know why. Wasn't it just as simple as the one before? He had smiled at SooHyun, was about to say hello, had missed seeing him since they had all separated for Christmas, when SooHyun had been distracted and walked away. Even not being able to greet him that day, when his heart had been so filled with him before, tore him to pieces. 

"나와 같은 꿈을 꾸나요? 혹시 그대도 날 찾아 헤매나요?시간을 되돌릴 순 없겠죠. 오늘도 그대 내게 인사하죠."

In all honesty, he regretted most of those omnipresent memories. If anything, he wanted desperately to go back, to fix it all, to erase every last little mistake. Despite the fact that it was not possible, would never be possible, he found he always wished it.

"멀리 그대가 보이죠. 왜 그리 슬픈 눈을 보이나요? 한참을 서성이다가. 날 보는 그댈 마주하죠." The melodies and counter-melodies had become one, somehow, had tied together in a seemingly unbreakable knot, had morphed into something new and exciting and heartbreaking. Something tragically beautiful.

Tragically beautiful, yes, that's what the last memory was. It was the only moment he could treasure dearly, the only thing he could remember without wishing something, anything, had been different. It was the first time he had been there during the anniversary of the death of SooHyun's father. He hadn't meant to barge in on such a sad moment, but he had, and when he stepped up to a SooHyun whose body shook with sobs, eyes red, nose runny, breath hitching, he knew he couldn't leave him. That day, SooHyun had seemed so far away, so distant. The look in his eyes was glassy, unresponsive. So he did the only thing he could think to do. He wrapped SooHyun in his arms, lingered for as long as it took SooHyun to quiet his sobs.

Without a word, he left.

He froze. Fingers lifted off the keys quickly, as though they burned to the touch. Alone. He liked alone. He was supposed to be alone. He knew very well how alone felt.

He was not alone.

"That was pretty," a voice said. He turned.

"SooHyun," he breathed.

"That song is kind of sad though, Hoon. I really didn't see you as the angsty type."  SooHyun grinned and ambled over, hands deep in his crumpled pajama bottoms. Hoon quickly took in the sight of him.

Hair splaying across his head at every angle, clothes rumpled, one sleeve pushed up while the other stretched down to brush his wrist.

Beautiful.

"Were you crying?"

"What?" Hoon snapped out of his reverie just as the pad of SooHyun's thumb brushed gently across his cheek.

"Hmm," was all he said. "Play something else?"

"S-sure." Hoon patted the bench beside him, giving SooHyun permission to sit down and watch over his shoulder.

At first, he played the definition of beautiful nonsense. Happy chords in major keys, a simple, made-up melody that complimented it well. To change it up, he began adding accidentals, made the smiles the chords wore begin to drop.

Before he knew it, he was playing something achingly familiar, something bittersweet, something so akin to a confession that he forced himself to stop.

"That was pretty, too," SooHyun grinned. "Why'd you stop?"

"I, uh, I forgot the rest... of the song..." Hoon muttered, praying desperately that SooHyun wouldn't notice, wouldn't point out the lyrics of the song.

"Hmm," he said again. He placed one finger on the piano and gingerly pressed down on a key. "Ah!" he softly exhaled. Slowly and choppily, he began picking out the melody. When he was sure he had gotten it, he began, to Hoon's surprise, singing.

"사랑 하나 뿐인데 사랑할 수 없고. 정말 하고싶은 말 할 수도 없는데. 점점 멀어져가는 사랑이 지키지 못할 말들이 날 울게 하네요. 사랑해요 사랑해서 어떡해요?" SooHyun paused, looked up at Hoon, smiled, whispered the last words of the song. "내겐 그대니까요..."

Hoon froze. It was just the song, right? SooHyun didn't really... He couldn't... 

He felt hot breath on his cheek, the tip of a nose brush against his temple. Warm lips pressed against the side of his face, only for a moment, and yet the moment seemed to last forever.

"I mean it, you know," SooHyun whispered softly. "Ever since we first met, I've wanted to say it." Hoon turned to face him.

"I love you," he blurted quickly. SooHyun chuckled lightly.

"I can beat that," he grinned. "You had me at hello," he said with a wink, leaving Hoon alone to contemplate all that had just happened.

He turned back to the keys, fingers laying slack on the ivory, heart racing. Distantly he heard music, realized he was playing it, paid more attention. He smiled. Yes, this was a happy memory. He would never regret this one.

A/N: Annyeong~~! ^_^ I hope everyone enjoyed this SooHoon fic! I know, there is a lot of Korean. Within the next hour, you should be able to refer to the Foreword for line-by-line romanization/English translations, I promise! Once that's done, I'll mark this story as complete. Thank you so much for reading, and feel free to comment on anything! I like hearing from everyone! @(^_^)@