Chapter 6

Italian Restaurant

Yongwa looked over menu to see what Seohyun was up to. She was looking out the window with a deep expression on her face. Yongwa questioned her.

“Hyun, are you okay? You’ve been quiet this whole time…was it that guy from earlier? Did he offend you?”

Seohyun snapped to her senses and looked to Yongwa. She gave a small grin.

“Sorry Yong…he did look familiar though…”

Seohyun felt extremely guilty for avoiding Kyuhyun liked that. She wanted to choke herself for being so immature towards him. She simply didn’t want to ruin her relationship with Yongwa. They were already growing closer and dating. Seohyun could feel her heart being stretched out of her chest. Yongwa spoke up.

“He seemed familiar…you know what…he reminded me of that singer from Tokyo…that club singer…forgot his name…”

Seohyun zoned out Yongwa’s voice and remembered that sweet night where Kyuhyun sang to her. She slowly smiled. Yongwa caught her smile.

“Why are you happy?”

Seohyun snapped out of her dream phase and stood up.

“Yong…I’m real tired…forgive me…I need to go now…”

“Wait! What about the food-“

“Here…”

She dropped her share of money.

“Goodnight Yong…”

She picked up her purse and exited out the restaurant. Yongwa was astonished.

“What’s going on with her?”

Yongwa was beginning to feel a lot of stress from what was going on. After the break-up with Yoona, he felt free again and was given another chance to win Seohyun over. This time he wasn’t going to pretend. Yongwa didn’t realize how much he loved her until she exposed her feelings towards him. He blamed himself for missing the chance but this time he wasn’t going to fail. The food arrived and he began to eat. The waiter questioned him.

“The young lady, sir…”

“She had an emergency…”

“I see…”

Yongwa felt like a loser as he ate but he was determined to win Seohyun’s heart. He’s waited a long time and he wasn’t going to fail.
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Kyuhyun opened the gate to his old, childhood home and closed it behind him. He remembered the day they moved in after their tough times in the apartments. The house was still as beautiful as he still remembered. He pulled out his keys and unlocked the front door. He must have walked all over the city and his feet were killing him. He tried to quietly sneak and avoid waking up his parents. He shut the door behind him, took off his shoes and crept through the main hallway towards the stairs. Suddenly, he heard his father clear his throat from study room. Kyuhyun sighed.

“Kyu…I need to speak with you, son…”

Kyuhyun rolled his eyes and entered into his father’s study. The room was covered in old photographs with numerous musicians. Though not popular compared to pop stars and rock stars, his father met fantastic composers, musical actors, and well-known instructors. Kyuhyun’s father was a former violinist for the Seoul Philharmonic Symphony yet got into a car accident that damaged his arms leaving him incapable of playing perfectly again. He moved onto being an instructor for young, up and coming violinist. Kyuhyun never followed his footsteps and learned to be a vocalist like his mother. Kyuhyun’s father always pushed him but things never turned out the way they wanted. Kyuhyun’s father closed his book and turned to Kyuhyun.

“Son, where have you been? It’s late…”

“Dad, I know…I just needed to have some time alone…I’ve had a lot on my mind…”

“Dara?”

“Yeah…and…well other things too…”

His father got up and looked out the blinds towards the clear night sky. He turned and sighed.

“Son, you’re almost hitting 30 years old yet, it seems you have been lost…”

Kyuhyun frowned.

“If you only stayed in that academy we sent you…”

“I know…”

“Kyu…I know you listened to your heart many times but…it’s time to really think things through…with your head…you need to find what’s best for you…when you left for Japan to seek a singing career…your mother and I were worried…it’s tough to be a musician…there were times when I didn’t have enough money to feed my family because of my meager wage as a private tutor…it was painful…”

Kyuhyun sat down and listened attentively. His father continued.

“We’re just glad you returned…we’ll be here to help you in anyway…”

Kyuhyun fought back his tears.

“I’m sorry for never listening to you…Dad…”

His father came over him and embraced him. Kyuhyun felt guilty for leaving his family and chasing his own ambitions. His parents supported him no matter what even in his darkest days. Finally returning to Seoul, he aimed to get back on his feet and use the talent he was given.

“I need to get some sleep now, Dad…thanks for being there for me…”

“I’m your father…that’s my job…”

Kyuhyun gave another embrace and said goodnight. He marched up the stairs to his old room. He his lampshade and sat at the edge of his bed. His old posters and action figures were still on display. He gave a warm smile and enjoyed the childhood memories from his room. He went to the bathroom to freshen up and got changed for bed.

He returned and looked over to his cell phone on the edge of his desk. Seohyun never called. He decided to avoid her for a little bit since there was awkwardness between them for the moment. Yet, he highly believed that she would finally get comfortable with the fact he was back in Korea.

“She must have been shocked to see me…I should understand that’s been awhile and she probably moved…on…”

With that thought, Kyuhyun suddenly felt depressed. He remembered his long nights in Tokyo and how he was constantly reminded of Seohyun. Sooyoung spoke highly of her and he always hoped he would find her again. He hoped he would officially be offered a chance to be with her. Yet, things looked more complicated than he thought. He sighed and crawled into his blankets. He began to run through his plans for tomorrow.

“I need to find a job…”

He gave another depressed sigh and closed his eyes. He was exhausted from the day and seeing so many old faces made his head spin. He needed the rest. Suddenly, his phone began to vibrate. It was Seohyun.

“How did she get my number?”

He answered quickly.

“Seohyun?”

Suddenly, Seohyun’s cute, tiny voice came across the line.

“Kyuhyun…did I wake you?”

Kyuhyun felt excited and rolled off his bed.

“No…I’m fine…how did you find my number? I never gave it to you…”
“I asked Sooyoung-unnie…she misses you, you know?”

“Wow…really…she was so cool…so…how may I help you?”

Seohyun giggled.

“Actually…I wanted to apologize…I’ve been very stupid today…real stupid…”

“No…I understand…it’s been a while…”

“I know…but…it isn’t an excuse…we need to properly get caught up…”

“We should…”

“Would you like to join me for dinner?”

“Dinner? Is this a date, Seohyun?”

Seohyun giggled again.

“It is a date, you silly boy…does sushi sound nice?”

“Sushi is always nice!”

Seohyun laughed and made Kyuhyun blush. He missed her laughter.

“Ok then, well I’ll call you around 8pm tomorrow night, okay?”

“I can’t wait, Seohyun…”

“Me either…goodnight…”

“Goodnight Seohyun…”

She hung up and Kyuhyun fell on his bed. He felt like a little boy with a crush. He felt it was all over with Seohyun but she finally came back to her senses. He lost all drive to sleep and pulled out his old Nintendo 64. He brought out some soda and began to play through his old games.

“I’m pulling an all-nighter now thanks to you…”

Kyuhyun laughed to himself and began to play.
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Seohyun placed her phone on the desk and fell to bed. She felt her confidence returning to her. She felt relieved that he wasn’t mad at her and very receptive about the date. Then, she remembered how she ditched Yongwa at the restaurant. She rolled over and looked at an old picture of her and Yongwa in the final taping of their show. The picture showed them both holding guitars and smiling.

“So innocent…”

Seohyun felt she had some control now in her relationships and she wasn’t showing any sort of weakness. Still, her conscience was beating her to death. She didn’t know what she should do if the two men actually met. She reached over to the lamp and turned off the light. She smiled to herself.

“I can’t believe I’m going to see him again…”
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The Following Night

Kyuhyun placed his suit on the bed and began to dry himself off. He was very excited to see Seohyun again.

“Why am I so anxious? She’s just a friend…a friend…”

With all the adventures they went through in such a short time together, he couldn’t quite comprehend the line between friendship and relationship.

“It’ll be fine tonight…just like act like always…”

He laughed to himself and proceeded to get dressed. Suddenly, his phone began to ring. It seemed strange because it wasn’t time yet for Seohyun to contact him so he slowly checked the caller ID. The excitement slowly died down. It was Dara.

“Hello, Dara?”

He could hear her crying from the other line.

“Dara, are you okay?”
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Seohyun sprayed a light scent of elegant perfume on her wrist then rubbed around her neck. She wanted to see Kyuhyun tonight and finally reconnect with him. She smiled at her reflection.

“I bet he’ll be knocked out with this outfit…”

She looked at her slim fitting black dress and expensive white Italian heels. Seohyun was dressed to kill and Kyuhyun would be her victim.

“I hate to be arrogant…but…”

She laughed to herself.

“He’s so handsome…”

Suddenly, her phone rang. She picked it up. It was Kyuhyun.

“Kyuhyun?”

“Seohyun, it’s me…I’m sorry…we need to cancel this date…”

“Oh no…why?”

“Something…came up….I need to go…God…I’m so sorry…I bet you look beautiful too…”

Seohyun gave a weak laugh.

“Don’t worry though; I’ll call you right away, Seohyun…”

“Ok…”

Kyuhyun hung up leaving Seohyun dumbfounded.

“Now what do I do? I’m all dressed up…”

She wondered why Kyuhyun had to break the date so fast.

“He doesn’t have girlfriend…does he?”

She shook off her suspicion and picked up her phone. She smiled.

“Sunny-unnie is off tonight!”
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The Hospital

“Lee Donghae…time of death…9:30 PM…”

The doctor shook his head in disbelief and went to Donghae’s mother to consul her. She was crying hysterically. Dara simply stood in shock.

“Mrs.Lee…I’m very sorry…” whispered the doctor.

The nurse covered Donghae with the white sheet to prepare him for transport to the morgue. Dara watched the sheet slowly drape over him. She didn’t know if she should feel pity or sadness. She felt a sense of freedom though. Suddenly, Mrs. Lee yelled at her.

“It’s your fault! It’s your fault my son went through so much pain!”

The doctor and nurse looked over to the torn-up Dara. Dara replied.

“You witch…you brought this on yourself!”

The nurse fought hold back Mrs. Lee.

“My son loved you and all you did was leave him stranded! Now…he’s gone! We’ll guess what?! You won’t be getting a thing! Nothing at all, you pathetic brat! Donghae left nothing for you but that wretched penthouse!”
Dara never loved her mother-in-law and after Mr. Lee passed away, she went even crazier. Dara swallowed her pride and responded.

“Your son doesn’t deserve to see this…you’re a shameful woman…”

“Shameful?! You’re a gold digger!!!”

Dara felt the words stab her in the heart. She fired a glare at Mrs. Lee and stormed out the room. The nurse held back Mrs. Lee as Dara walked past her.

“A gold digger!!!”

Dara exited the room and she began to cry. She walked down the hall to look for a quiet place. Suddenly, she saw Kyuhyun sitting at the waiting room.

“Kyuhyun…”

She ran up to him and cried. Kyuhyun was bewildered.

“Dara? Is everything ok?”

“I knew you would show up…”

“Donghae…is he…”

Dara looked up to him and shook her head.

“Dara…I’m sorry…”

“Please…don’t be…I want to go home now…take me home, Kyuhyun…”

Kyuhyun shook his head and escorted her out the hospital. Mrs. Lee stood with a disgust face as she watched Dara and Kyuhyun exit the hospital.

“I knew that girl was useless…I’ll make sure she doesn’t earn a thing after my son’s death…”

Kyuhyun’s old station wagon pulled up in front of Dara’s house. They were both quiet. Kyuhyun spoke up first.

“It’s funny…I live two houses down from you…I could walk faster than driving back…”

Dara let out a cute giggle. Kyuhyun looked over to her and smiled.

“Are you sure you’re going to be ok?”

Dara slowly nodded and sighed.

“I don’t want to go home yet, Kyuhyun…I just want to stay here…with…you…”

Kyuhyun let out a small smile.

“Dara…you need to get some rest…let me walk you inside-“

Dara leaned over and gave Kyuhyun a kiss on the lips. Kyuhyun was shocked and moved back.

“Dara? What are you doing?”

“Kyuhyun…”

Kyuhyun began to panic.

“Dara…I know you went through a lot but…please…you need to get some time to rest and reorganize your life…”

“Kyuhyun…”

She caressed his face with her fingers.

“I never stopped dreaming of you…”

Kyuhyun shut his eyes and fought hard to hold his tears.

“Dara…please…don’t do this to me…”

“I never stopped loving…you…”

Kyuhyun unlocked his door and got out. He circled around the car and opened Dara’s door. She slowly stepped out. Kyuhyun took her by the arm and rang the door bell.

“Kyuhyun…I don’t want to…”

“Please…you need to…”

Dara’s mother stepped out.

“Dara? Kyuhyun?”

Kyuhyun responded.

“Mrs. San…I’m here to drop her off…I’m sure you heard the news…”

“News?”

“Lee Donghae has passed away…”

Dara’s mother gasped and opened the gate door quickly to embrace her daughter.

“Dara…baby…I’m sorry…”

Mr. San stepped out of the house and approached his crying family. He waved to Kyuhyun.

“Kyuhyun…thank you for being there to take my daughter home…”

“Yes sir…I’ll be going now…”

Kyuhyun got back into the car and drove home. He looked to his rear view mirror and saw Dara watching him. Kyuhyun felt a cold chill run through his body.

“Please…don’t let me go through this again…”
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He arrived home and parked the car outside. He unlocked the gate and entered the house. His parents were gone for the night so he opened up a can of Sprite and went to his room. He felt exhausted and disappointed. He missed Seohyun. He entered his room and sat on his bed. He needed to change his way of living. He needed his music back. If he were to stay in the same state of mind with Dara constantly reminding him of his past, he would grow insane. He fell back on his bed and looked over to his desk. He saw something shiny. He got up and saw the SM calling card left by Seohyun a couple days before. Suddenly, an idea emerged.

“Should I ask?”

He sat back on his bed and stared at the SM logo. He remembered the performance at the Tokyo Hilton and Yoona tried to recruit him. Seohyun stepped in and claimed that she had him reserved already for SM. Kyuhyun smiled from the memory and rolled over to grab his phone.

“I need to speak with Seohyun…”

He stared at the number in his phone then quickly pressed it. It began to ring. Seohyun answered.

“Kyuhyun…”

“Seohyun…I know it’s late but…let me make it up to you…”

“Okay…what is it?”

“Lunch at the downtown plaza…how’s that?”

“They do have great sandwiches there…”

“Yes…plus…Tiffany’s palace is there too…”

“It is…is that important for some reason?”

“No…just wanted to let you know that…”

Seohyun giggled.

“Well then…smarty pants…how about at noon?”

“Noon sounds good…Seohyun, I also need to ask a favor from you as well…”

“Favor?”

“I’ll ask when we get there, okay?”

“Alright then…”

“Goodnight, Seohyun…”

“Goodnight, Kyuhyun…”

Kyuhyun hung up and felt relieved. He needed to find a job so he could not only earn some money but also rebuild what was left of his crumbling pride. The past days have been painful for him and he wasn’t looking forward for more punishment.

“Thank you…Seohyun…”
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The Downtown Plaza

Kyuhyun entered through the front entrance near Tiffany’s Palace. The downtown plaza was busier than usual. He was wearing a brown coat with a white shirt underneath. He was worried if he was under dressed. He placed his hands in his pocket and searched for the café that Seohyun was speaking about. He walked through the food court and passed the giant Italian fountain. He continued to search through the crowd hoping to run into Seohyun before he got to the café but he wasn’t lucky.

“Where is she?”

Finally, he arrived at the café and entered. It was real busy with the line reaching the entrance. He heard that this particular café was popular for its rich taste in coffee and great pastries. He decided to take seat and text Seohyun that he was waiting. He found a table for two at the far back and took a seat. It was beside the window so he could see the people walking past. He frowned when he remembered that his sketchbook was back in his room. This was a perfect spot to draw people walking around. As he was pulling his cell phone out to text Seohyun, he heard a group of people laughing near him. He turned and saw a group of employees from Tiffany’s Palace. A feminine-looking boy shot a nasty look at him.

“Excuse me sir…are we bothering you?”

Kyuhyun saw his name tag. It read “Ki Bum.”

“Bothering me? Oh no…you guys are cool…”

Key stood up and strolled over to Kyuhyun as the rest of the group laughed. Key whispered to him.

“You see that gorgeous girl over there…with the long black hair?”

Kyuhyun looked over and was stunned.

“I do…what about her?”

“Her name is Yuri…she thinks you’re cute…”

Kyuhyun blushed and looked over to her. She winked at him.

“Oh, really? We’ll, I’m flattered…Ms. Yuri, I’m flattered…but…I’m expecting a friend…sorry…”

Key laughed and walked back to the pouting Yuri. Kyuhyun smiled at them and went back to his phone. He went ahead and texted Seohyun that he was waiting. Right before he was going to send it, Seohyun appeared before him.

“Seohyun?”

“You beat me!”

“I did…are you hungry?”

“I am actually…but we should go somewhere less crowded…I know a place right outside…let me show you!”

Kyuhyun smiled.

“Sure, let’s go!”

Kyuhyun got up and followed Seohyun. Before he exited, he turned back to Key and Yuri. Yuri smiled and winked. Kyuhyun laughed and waved goodbye.

“Why do they seem so familiar?”

Kyuhyun shrugged and exited the café.
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Seohyun returned to the picnic table with two steak sandwiches in her hand. Kyuhyun was salivating from the smell.

“Holy…that smells great, Seohyun!”

Seohyun smiled.

“I know all the great places here…”

Kyuhyun bit into the sandwich and almost passed out. Seohyun laughed as he chomped down his sandwich. Seohyun spoke up.

“So…last night…was everything okay?”

Kyuhyun finished chewing.

“Yeah…it was my…friend…she had some trouble and needed a ride home…everything is okay now…I feel bummed for canceling out though…”

“Oh…that’s fine…at least I know you weren’t fooling around and instead helping someone out…”

“Fooling around?!”

Seohyun laughed.

“Seriously though…you were speaking about a ‘favor’…how could I help?”

Kyuhyun finished his sandwich and began to rethink his plan. Seohyun could tell he was serious.

“Seohyun…I really need your help…ever since I returned here to Korea…I haven’t been able to find a…job…I was wondering if SM could use a new artist…”

Seohyun listened to his request and began to think deeply as well. She remembered his talented voice and his great stage presence. She felt he needed more exposure and the club scene wasn’t enough to handle his talent. Then, she remembered how she lost her contract to Yoona. Seohyun was desperate for new talent. Kyuhyun might be her key to getting back her presence in the company. She looked over to Kyuhyun and saw his warm smile. Suddenly, she felt a conflict in the horizon.

“Kyuhyun…I would love to help…are you busy tomorrow around 5pm?”

“I’m free…”

“We’re holding auditions and you should come…”

“Oh really?”

“I’ll put in the good word for you but…you need to bring that talent as always…”

Kyuhyun stood up and took Seohyun’s hand.

“Don’t worry…I’ll show them what I got!”

Seohyun laughed.

“So…are we cool?”

“We are definitely cool…”

Seohyun stood up.

“It looks like we have a date…”

“We do…oh man…I need to go now…I need to practice!”

“Wait…you don’t need to rush…want another sandwich?!”

Kyuhyun shook his head.

“Seohyun, I need to go…I can’t let this chance go! I’ll see you tomorrow!”

Kyuhyun gave her a high-five and ran towards the plaza parking. Seohyun smiled then returned to her seat. Suddenly, she felt that bad sense return.

“Kyuhyun…I know he’ll make it…this way we’ll be helping each other…but why do I feel guilty…”

She began to imagine if he made the audition and she became his agent.

“Oh no…”

What if the company knew about their relationship before they met? How could she concentrate knowing they shared something special in the past? Seohyun tried to stop from her crazy imagination.

“No…we’ll be fine…it’ll be business…only…business…”

Kyuhyun got into his car and drove home. As he drove, he began to think about Seohyun.

“Will this work?”

He began to remember their time in Tokyo and the sweet spring evening together near the Tokyo Tower. Kyuhyun’s smile slowly faded and he began to worry.

“If I make this audition…if she becomes my agent then…”

He found the dilemma in what’s going to happen to them and felt his heart shudder.

“No…I won’t ruin what we have…I’ll be professional…”

He saw the doubt through his words. He buried his worries and concentrated on what was happening now.

“I need to make this audition…I need it to save…me…”

He pressed the pedal and sped through the freeway.

End of Chapter 6

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Could Kyuhyun and Seohyun possibly be business partners in the near future? What kind of complication will that have on them? How about Dara? Does she still love Kyuhyun? Will Yongwa gain Seohyun’s love back? Stay tuned for the next chapter of “Lovers in Tokyo!”