The crowd was slow to dissipate after the concert ended, the many well-known names staying to chat with their fellow socialite and politician friends.

Kyuhyun and Sungmin were smiling, each having thoroughly enjoyed each other’s presence while listening to the luscious and romantic music performed through the duration of the evening. Standing up, Kyuhyun quite naturally reached out to grasp the blonde’s hand as they walked towards the end of their aisle.

Giving him a small apologetic grin, Kyuhyun turned sheepishly to Sungmin.

“Sorry if I didn’t mention this before but one of my friends is quite eager to meet you so we’re going to see him now. His dad was actually the conductor this evening, and his name is Changmin. He should actually be somewhere around here…”

“I’m right behind you, you big idiot!”

The duo turned as they heard a bright voice shout from their posterior. Grinning cheekily, the amused faces of both Henry and Changmin could be seen as they stuck their tongue out at the surprised couple.

“Henry? What are you doing here?” Kyuhyun asked, eyeing the two with suspicion.

“Hello to you too hyung! Changmin gave me a ticket so we could see if you’re being a proper gentlemen to my Minnie hyung. Isn’t that right Changmin?”

“You got it!” the young conductor replied with a wink, both of them laughing at the now spluttering Kyuhyun.

Giving the aura of a sleek cat smelling its prey, Changmin turned a scrutinizing eye towards Sungmin. Scanning down Sungmin’s petite stature, the man lips turned up, his satisfaction evident after the quick once-over. Shifting to face his friend, the conductor gave Kyuhyun a hearty pat on the back.

“Well my man, I never thought I’d be able to say this for you, but man, you’ve got major pull if you were able to land this babe right here.”

Sungmin blushed at the bold comment, never expecting the antisocial cellist to have friends as… outgoing… as this Changmin. The boy was a bit puzzled though. After all, everyone liked Kyuhyun at school (whether or not he liked the general population back is a different question). The man could have his pick of gorgeous dates anytime he wanted to. Why was Changmin so surprised that Kyuhyun could get a date?

Deciding to voice his question out loud, the blonde was met by loud raucous laughter.

“Him popular? Oh you have got to be kidding me my dear Sungmin. Our Kyuhyun here was the shyest boy in our entire orchestra camp when we were there together. Back then, it almost seemed like he would pee in his pants anytime a good looking girl even remotely looked his way.”

Sungmin’s eyes widened. Well, he certainly didn’t expect this from the arrogant cellist. It was good to see that he had a human side after all. He squealed internally at the thought of a cute timid young Kyuhyun stumbling his way awkwardly into adolescence. Compared to the now cold and stoic young man next to him today, the person described by Kyuhyun’s friends seemed like a totally different individual.

On the other hand, Kyuhyun was now a bright red shade, making him resembling a perfectly ripe tomato. It seemed like everytime he was around his friends with Sungmin, his perfect image was shattered more and more. It wasn’t that he was ashamed of his past. No, Kyuhyun had nothing to hide really, but his past awkwardness wasn’t exactly something to go around bragging about.

“Oh look, he even still has his old habit. The tip of his nose lights up bright red like Rudolph whenever he’s super embarrassed.” Changmin pointed out with a chuckle, the  discovery causing fresh giggles to erupt from Henry. Sungmin too was vastly amused but for Kyuhyun’s sake, he kept his amusement down to a fond smile as the afore mentioned man looked about ready to strangle one of his best friends.

Sungmin decided that he quite liked Changmin. The man was, to be sure, rather different, but he was fun in a good way. The blonde could tell that Changmin cared for Kyuhyun from the way he himself had been appraised the moment the conductor had set eyes on him. And for some reason, he felt warm inside knowing that Kyuhyun had friends who can watch over and take care of the man.

Thinking that he should save his date from further embarrassment, Sungmin subtly glanced down at his watch and cutely tugged at Kyuhyun’s sleeve like a small child would to get the parent’s attention. Kyuhyun immediately turned his attention to the shorter man, playing the perfect image of the doting boyfriend as he looked concernedly at the boy.

Changmin and Henry snickered and nudged each other at the sight but Kyuhyun tuned them out. His Sungmin was worth a few embarrassments in front of his friends.

“Kyuhyun, Heechul wouldn’t like it if I was home to late and it’s 9 ‘o clock right now. Can we get going please?” The blonde politely requested.

“Of course Minnie! We wouldn’t want Heechul to be at either of our throats would we?” Kyuhyun quickly replied, holding his hand out for the boy to take as he wracked his brain to remember where his car was parked. Sungmin giggled lightly as he glanced over at the man’s concentrated scrunched up face.

“Kyuhyun –ah, it’s on the right once we exit the concert hall.” He offered helpfully, the cellist blushing at his ineptness at remembering parking spots.

Henry couldn’t help but add in a jab.

“Yah hyung, with a car as bright as yours, it’s kind of hard to miss just saying.”

“Yeah Kyu. It’s more like something a 20 year old chick would drive.” Changmin added, sticking his tongue out merrily at his friend in the process.

By this point, Kyuhyun was full on pouting at the mischievous duo, all of his childhood habits present as he glared angrily towards the source of his misery. Sungming stifled a laugh as he observed the man’s odd constipated face, deciding instantaneously that the cellist, unlike himself, could definitely pull off a pout.

“You guys did not just insult my baby. “

“Oh yes we did. But you’re going to be the one that’s going to get it real good. Who calls their car their ‘baby’ in front of their date? Go be a gentleman and drive your car up here so your precious baby Minnie won’t have to walk.”

Skulking, Kyuhyun resembled a child being reprimanded as he ignored Sungmin’s protests of no I can walk and shuffled dolefully towards the endless stretch of parking lines. If anything, the tall 16 year old now resembled a toddler being sent to time out, alone and pouting angrily at nothing in particular.

Left alone with the two musketeers, Sungmin was greeted by the sight of a now serious Changmin and a young Henry now distracted by Angry Birds Space on his IPhone, headphones plugged into his ear as he bobbed his head along to whatever he was listening.

Smiling like a doting parent towards the young violinist’s adorable antics, the young man turned his attention to the black haired conductor whose countenance was a frigid 360 degree turn from before.

Gulping nervously, Sungmin tentatively tilted his head, hesitantly throwing out a “what’s wrong?” to the other.

Changmin took a deep breath, and looked straight at Sungmin, his brows knit in a hard line as he opened his mouth to speak. 

“Before I leave you with Kyuhyun, I want you to get this straight. Most of the people in Kyuhyun’s life aren’t in it for the right reason. Starting from the moment he was born, my friend has been used by people, his own parents included. He has puppet strings attached to him, all pulling on him to do this and that, to win this, to achieve that, to be the best at anything and everything he possibly could. They all wanted glory, popularity, anything they could possibly take from him. To them, all he ever could be was a shiny trophy for them to brag about. Those people never saw him as a person with feelings or his own needs. He was just a toy so that those who used him could feel good about themselves, that they are associated with someone with his talent. I know how people work Sungmin."

"And I really hope you’re in his life not just as yet another puppet string. “

Silence stretched between the two, their gazes firmly locked onto each other as both remained mute, deeply entrenched in their respective thoughts.

All of this was new to Sungmin, and definitely hard to take in all at once. To be honest, he had envisioned Kyuhyun to have the perfect life, the kind of life that everyone envied.

But now, he knew that was definitely not the case. No one deserved that kind of treatment; no one’s childhood should be filled with such plastic pastimes and surroundings.

But Kyuhyun’s had, and with that thought, the blonde couldn’t help but look away, his eyes falling to the ground as he imagined the kind of life the cellist had to grow up with. It seemed that everyone had their own backstory, no matter the perfection displayed at the surface in the present.

Biting his lips, Sungmin was the first to break the silence, his voice halting as he tried to brush aside his inner turmoil from the new discovery.

“I… understand your concern Changmin. And this all came at a shock to me, and I had no idea that Kyuhyun’s conditions were like that. And I really don’t know how to react or what to do or if I can even ask him about it. But after hearing it, I promise you that what you told me will never be my purpose in associating with Kyuhyun. We started off a bit awkwardly, but our interactions now, all I want now, is simply to know him. I want to see more of his smiles, his childish side, I want to know more about who he actually is. Because, well, those things make me feel… happy. I don’t really know how to explain it right now, I’m sorry. But I promise you, hurting or using him is the last thing I would ever do.”

He glanced up shyly at the other, relieved to find the young conductor with a wide smile on his face. Warmly placing a hand on Sungmin’s shoulder, the man’s lips tilted up in silent acceptance of the blonde’s words, his attitude shifting yet another 360 degrees to poor Sungmin's confusion.

“Well then, I can be assured in handing him over to you can I? I trust that he’ll be in good hands, Sungmin-ah.”

Two short honks shocked Sungmin into jumping slightly as the conductor’s words faded into the air, the man now as cheerful as he was before Kyuhyun had left. With a conspiratorial wink, Changmin cheekily gestured to the red Mini Cooper and motioned for Sungmin to get in the car.

“He’s all yours now babe.”

The ride back was quiet, a comfortable sort of silence as Kyuhyun basked in the glow of a semi-successful date as he deemed it while Sungmin contemplated what Changmin had told him when the cellist went to fetch his car. Both felt that they had gained a lot from the night, a sort of peace and understanding of the other that they didn’t have before.

Both were so lost in their own worlds that they didn’t notice the black government issued Cadillac sitting in the driveway before Sungmin’s apartment.

Both didn’t see the body guards standing a few meters by the elevators inside the complex.

Kyuhyun failed to notice the neighbors’ appraising looks towards both of them as they walked towards Sungmin’s door, #281.

Sungmin didn’t think anything of the fact that the door was unlocked, something that a paranoid person like Heechul would never allow to happen.

And it was only until they walked in, that they noticed Heechul sitting unnaturally still on the couch while an older man in a crisp black suit sat stoically at their room’s small dining table, the scene strangely resembling one from a movie as Sungmin felt all of his blood drain from his face.

Besides him, he heard Kyuhyun let out a small gasp as the man turned to face them.

“I see you are back, Sungmin, my son.” 

AN: Finally updated! I am banking on the fact that Easter weekend is coming up and hopefully I can afford to procrasinate on my homework today a bit x) Hope everyone enjoys this chapter and here is the drama that I promised! But don't worry, I am definitely still a fluff writer so nothing too tramatic will happen... yet. Well no promises ;) But once again, thanks for everyone's amazingly sweet and lovely comments on the last chapter and I am not lying when you guys' support really do help motivate me to survive my devil-created classes so I can update hopefully more frequently <3  

Note: I think a lot of people are getting confused on who's parent the mysterious man is! He says, "Sungmin, my son" meaning that he is Sungmin's father, not Kyuhyun's :) hope that clears things up for a few people.