Kyuhyun stared at Siwon and Changmin. They stared back.

Jinri looked back and forth between all three men, confused. 

"Uh..." Kyuhyun stalled, mind completely blank from shock. 

"Do you know these people?" asked Jinri, also surprised but more curious than anything else. 

"... Yes..." Kyuhyun answered slowly, still struggling to process the situation. Why were they here? Why were they together? How had they found him? Although he knew it was irrational, Kyuhyun felt a twinge of guilt, as though he shouldn't be out on a date with a girl right now, as though somehow he had been caught doing something he shouldn't have. 

"I'm Kyuhyun's best friend," said Changmin, taking the initiative to cover for Kyuhyun. "Shim Changmin." 

Siwon stepped forward, not minding that he brushed past Changmin in the process. "I'm Choi Siwon. I'm Kyuhyun's... uh... I help him out at the bookstore occasionally," he finished awkwardly, frowning as Changmin scoffed under his breath. 

The tension sat thickly in the air.

Jinri watched as both Changmin and Siwon stared pointedly at a very pale Kyuhyun who had decided staring at his mug was a better alternative. 

Ah.

"Very nice to meet you both," Jinri stated cheerfully, quickly gathering her things. "I see you both need to have a chat with my date here, so I'll leave you be." Jinri giggled internally as both men standing grimaced at the word "date." 

Kyuhyun seemed to fnally come to his senses and stood up quickly. "Sorry, Jinri, I don't... know... I mean- I can't- "

Jinri laughed. Kyuhyun was a pretty cute guy. It was too bad, really... "It's ok, Kyuhyun. Maybe we can get together another time." She winked, fully enjoying the glares of the other two men. "Oh yeah, and don't forget, the fashion show is in two weeks! I'll need you to come in for a fitting and rehearsal next weekend," she added. She pulled out some fliers from her purse and handed them to Siwon and Changmin. "Make sure you both come!"

With another smile and a wave, she was out of sight. 

--------------------

Once out the door, Jinri whipped out her phone and opened up her messages.

To Zhoumi: Team Changmin or Team Siwon? ;)

--------------------

Inside the cafe, Kyuhyun could quickly feel himself going from numb disbelief to heated fury. Before he could make a scene, he threw down enough cash to cover the bill and then promptly marched out of the building as quickly as he could. 

Ignoring Changmin's and Siwon's calls, sure they were following him, Kyuhyun sped around the corner, not caring where his feet were taking him. They caught up easily enough, Siwon catching his shoulder and Changmin his hand. Kyuhyun whipped around.

"Don't." He warned. "Just don't touch me right now, okay? I'm really confused about- about everything, and I don't even know where to start, like why did you follow me and- and- how did you even know where to find me? Like- "

Siwon thought to himself that Kyuhyun angry was a very beautiful Kyuhyun indeed. "Calm down," he said softly, "We didn't mean to surprise you like that." He yearned to reach out and those heated cheeks, to discover just how vibrantly they could shine.

On the other hand, Changmin felt torn, upset at the distraught look upon his best friend's face. He wasn't supposed to make Kyuhyun feel like this; he was supposed to be there for him, to protect him. "I asked Zhoumi. I wanted to... talk, about what happened," he explained, hoping Kyuhyun would respond to his plea.

He didn't. If anything, Kyuhyun seemed to become even more upset, maybe even scared. He shook his head furiously. "I- I can't, Min. Not right now... These feelings- I just... can't deal with these feelings right now. I'm sorry. I need more time to think." 

Changmin heard his heartbeat pounding in his ears, felt his heart begin to break a little. Kyuhyun wouldn't accept his feelings. He took a step back. 

"No, Min..." he heard Kyuhyun say, faintly, as though the sound had come from far away. He saw Kyuhyun step forward, try to reach for him, but this time it was he who shook his head and turned away. He felt the cracks in his heart extend, felt the outer edges begin to crumble off. 

--------------------

Kyuhyun stared helplessly as his best friend walked away from him into the night. 

As quickly as it had burst into him, the anger fled, replaced only by the overwhelming urge to break down and cry. But he didn't. Because Siwon was still there, still looking at him as though he meant something in this world of deceitful relationships, and that look he was giving him made Kyuhyun so damn frustrated. 

"What's your excuse?" he snapped. "Why are you here?"

Siwon raised his hands defensively. "I just went to your apartment to see if you maybe wanted a drink... so... and I saw Changmin rush out and he said something about finding out where you were, and he looked really worried! So..." he trailed off, unsure if this answer would provoke Kyuhyun's anger. 

Thankfully, it didn't, but Siwon regretted how Kyuhyun seemed to deflate, how the sadness in his eyes and the worry on his face bloomed, and before he could help it he was hugging the other man. Kyuhyun made a startled noise, but then brought a hand up to cling to Siwon's jacket as he began to cry. 

--------------------

It felt as though it had been days when Kyuhyun finally came to and found himself sitting in Siwon's car outside his apartment, tissues scattered all around him, eyes puffy and red. All he could think about was getting to his bed and burying himself under the covers, either to cry more or to sleep, he really didn't know at this point. 

"Thanks for driving me home, Siwon," he said quietly. He looked up into Siwon's concerned, stupidly handsome face with those perfectly proportioned features and everything suddenly became clear to him. (At least, as clear to him as could be in this muddled state.)

"I think... I think I like boys," he stated as if in a dream, hearing his voice say the words more than consciously speaking them. He then leaned over to kiss Siwon on his cheek, but as he did so his hand slipped off the chair, and he ended up kissing the corner of Siwon's mouth instead. His brain was fuzzy from all the crying but despite the numbness, he felt a small burst of warmth in the pit of his stomach. He smiled, said goodnight to a flabbergasted Siwon, and slipped out the door. 

Once inside his apartment, Kyuhyun searched for Changmin, who was unsurprisingly nowhere to be found. He pulled out his cellphone and typed, "Changmin. I like boys. Please don't hate me," before pressing send, throwing his phone on the living room table, and retreating to his room.

He promptly fell into bed and laugh-cried himself to sleep. What a day. 

Aha... What an emotional chapter. Thank you for everyone who is giving their support and thank you for being patient!