After the manager hyung declared my face acceptable after I finally stopped crying, he let me out of the car to go to class. I wasn't emotional anymore and was just pleased that the manager hyung was taking me back. I still couldn't stop smiling as I walked into my classroom with a bow, half an hour later than I said I would be.

"Sorry," I said, trying to suppress my smile. I tried to put on a serious and apologetic face, but a grin formed on my face instead; I lowered my head to hide my inappropriate expression when the teacher looked at me, clearly irritated.

"Do you think this is funny, Kyuhyun?"

I lowered my head a bit more, but I still couldn't get the smile off my face. "No, sir," I said, and I covered my mouth with the back of my hand to hide the smile.

"Take your seat. See me after class," he said, but I stayed standing where I was.

"Um, I'm really sorry, but I still have to leave in half an hour, so - " I finally wiped the smile off my face and looked at him seriously.

The teacher stared at me in disbelief. "Kyuhyun, this is unacceptable."

"Isn't that just what happens when they're full of it? His popularity apparently increased," muttered one of my friends that was sitting just beside where I was standing.

I hit his shoulder with the back of my hand. "You're such a jerk," I whispered. He looked up at me with an arrogant smile, and I drew my hand back to hit him again. He shied away from me as I rolled my eyes.

"Cho Kyuhyun!" shouted the teacher angrily.

"Yes, sir. Sorry," I said, hastily lowering my hand. I rushed up to take my seat, but then the smile returned to my face.

"Stop coming to school and disrupting class if you're not serious about your academics, Kyuhyun," the teacher said coldly. I didn't say anything and bowed with apology in my seat, not wanting to waste class time any more than I already had. Although I should have been embarrassed to have been scolded in front of the whole class, the smile that the manager hyung had put there stayed on my face.

I maintained an excellent mood throughout the entire day. We had a successful interview and a performance that day, and returned to the office at 11pm when we were finished. The rest of the team were learning Miracle with me in it; since I was added to the song that was orignially distributed for the 12 of them, the formation and choreography changed a bit for each one of them.

"It's ridiculous that we have have to learn this again," muttered Kangin under his breath to Leeteuk.

Any other time, I probably would have pretended I hadn't heard, but I was still in such a good mood that I smiled at him apologetically. "Sorry, sunbaenim. But Eunhyuk hyung and I worked really hard on it this morning, so I think we could be done within a couple of hours."

Kangin looked thrown off at the fact that his comment didn't affect my mood. He opened his mouth to say something, but Eunhyuk spoke first.

"Who is that?" he asked, pointing at the window into the hallway. We all looked at what he was pointing at, and to my dismay, I saw Jonghyun watching our practice through the window. I covered my face with my hands in exasperation, but I guessed it was my fault for telling him to find me at 11pm.

"Hey, it's that kid that Kyuhyun and I had lunch with the other day," said Donghae, beaming delightedly. I sighed at Donghae's honesty in revealing my relationship to Jonghyun, and faced the rest of the team as everyone looked at me.

"Um, I'm really sorry. He's a close dongsaeng of mine, but he doesn't have much - " I paused, searching for the right word. "Tact. We can just ignore him until we're done," I said, trying not to look at Jonghyun.

"Well, he's here to see you for a reason. Just take care of whatever it is," said Donghae with a grin. God, he liked Jonghyun too much.

"I know why he's here, hyung, and he can wait. I don't want to take away time from practice. I'm so sorry," I said. I gave several small bows of apology to the older hyungs.

"He's going to be distracting," complained Heechul. I hesitated for a second.

"I'm so sorry, sunbaenim. I'll send him away right now," I said, and I walked toward the door and opened it. Jonghyun had clearly been waiting for me to open the door as soon as I opened it, he gave a deep bow.

"Hyung," Jonghyun said, taking my hand. I pulled my hand out of his grip right away.

"We're in practice right now. Come back in two hours."

Jonghyun looked troubled. "But hyung - that's 1am, and the buses only run until - "

"I'll pay for a cab if I have to," I said, cutting him off, and I made to close the door.

"But hyung - "

"You're getting me into trouble with the hyungs, so come back in two hours," I said urgently. If I could wait four days and nights by Leeteuk's doorway, Jonghyun could wait two hours in the lounge. I closed the door as Jonghyun took dejected steps away from the practice room, and bowed again to the team in apology as Eunhyuk and Leeteuk finally began practice.

We finished practice a tiny bit past 1am, and all of the team members went downstairs to the lounge to wait for the managers to pick us up while I opened the cleaning closet and took out a broom. I started sweeping the floors alone when Jonghyun finally opened the door to the practice room. I felt the happiness that the manager hyung had given me the whole day slip away from me, only to be replaced by anger and annoyance.

"Hyung," he said with a shaking voice. I glanced at him, and I could see him forcing a smile on his face, but there were already tears in his eyes. I continued sweeping as he bowed and hung his head. I saw a few tears fall to the floor, but I didn't feel even a trace of sympathy towards him; if anything, I felt even more annoyed that he was so eager to be good to his seniors but was abusing his juniors behind my back.

"You're dirtying the floor that I've just swept," I said coldly. Jonghyun gave another small bow and wiped his tears on his sleeve. I finally dropped the broom on the floor and walked to him with my arms crossed. I saw Jonghyun shrink and take half a step back. "So let's hear it, Jonghyun," I said. "I'd like to hear how you're going to justify what you did. How long have you been doing it for?"

"Hyung, that was the first and only time I'd ever done it," said Jonghyun, still looking at the floor and wiping his tears.

"Let me ask you this question again. And look at me when I'm talking to you," I ordered. Jonghyun gave a tiny sob and looked into my eyes with his tear-strung ones. "Do you think what you did was wrong?"

Jonghyun opened his mouth, then closed it. He hung his head.

"I told you to look at me," I repeated, genuine annoyance filling my chest. Jonghyun looked up at me again, but his eyes seemed to have trouble staying fixed on mine.

"It's wrong. It's obviously wrong," he said. "But - but hyung, if I - I was in that position again, I'd do it again. That - that's why I can't apologize to that hoobae." Then he got on his knees and started sobbing into his hands.

I looked at him in disbelief. I stayed silent for a second then picked up the broom on the ground and started sweeping again. "Why did you even bother coming to talk to me?" I asked, shaking his head. I turned my attention away from him completely and focused only on sweeping, trying to hold my anger in.

"Hyung, it's because - " he started, then took a deep breath. I stopped sweeping momentarily and looked at him. "Hyung, he was talking about - " Jonghyun stopped again. I waited for him for a bit to continue, but he remained silent.

"Either say it or leave so I can finish cleaning this room," I said with my teeth clenched.

"He was talking about - how - how he didn't know why - why you were on the team - and that you - you weren't contributing to Super Junior's success, and - and how you weren't getting along with the team anyway, and how - how it would be best for everyone if you left the team," said Jonghyun. I froze for a second; this was the last thing I was expecting. I stopped sweeping and looked at Jonghyun who was still on his knees and looking at the floor. I opened my mouth and drew in a breath, then stopped; I didn't know what to say. There was a few more seconds of silence, then I finally spoke.

"You short-sighted fool," I said, disappointed. "Do you realize what you did? You just reinforced the idea that they have to treat seniors as if they were gods in him."

"But hyung - "

"I was expecting too much out of you," I said, turning my head away from him.

There was a short pause, then Jonghyun finally looked up at me. "But I did it for you, hyung," he said, then fresh tears brimmed around his eyes.

"Don't say that!" I shouted. I dropped the broom again and swore. We stayed silent for a few moments, then I opened my mouth. "Jonghyun, if you really wanted to do me a favour, you wouldn't have done what you did."

"Hyung, I would be able to work anything out with words with any junior I'll ever have to take care of," said Jonghyun tearfully. "But not when it involves you."

I sighed as I tried to decide whether his heart was in the right place.

"Hyung, I'm sorry. Please, please forgive me. If you tell me to still apologize to him, I'll do it. I'm so sorry," said Jonghyun, then he started sobbing the most sorrowful tears that I'd ever seen anyone cry. I finally felt a tingling guilt in my chest, and sighed. I walked towards him, and pulled him up to his feet.

When he was standing again, I pulled him into a hug, pressing his heaving chest tightly into mine in an attempt to stop his sobs.

"Okay. It's okay," I said, patting his back. Jonghyun let out another sob. "It's okay. Just promise me that you'll never do it again. And yeah, I still want you to apologize to him."

"Okay," managed Jonghyun through his tears. I finally loosened my hold after about a minute. However, Jonghyun continued holding on tightly, crying into my shirt. I laughed a little. I gave him another brief squeeze and Jonghyun loosened his embrace on me as well.

"Let me know when you've apologized. I'll buy you dinner," I said with my hands on his shoulders. Jonghyun smiled a little and nodded. "And never do it again. Do you understand?" I asked mildly.

Jonghyun nodded again, and I wiped the tears on his face away with my hand. "Okay. You should get going. I've made you miss curfew already," I said. I pulled my wallet out of my pocket and handed him some cash. "Call yourself a cab and call me when you get back to the dorm."

"I'll pay you back," said Jonghyun, taking the money from my hand. I shook my head.

"I can do this much," I said with a reassuring smile, and after another hug, I let Jonghyun out of the practice room.