Yunho opened his bleary eyes to a ceiling that wasn’t his. “What…where…” he groaned.

“Morning hyung!” Donghae called off in the distance. “Get up quickly! I made you hangover soup!”

Yunho grumbled but rolled off the bed. He stumbled into the kitchen. “What happened last night?” He asked, scratching his head.

Donghae was standing at the stove, stirring at a pot of soup. “Didn’t you hear me say I was making you hangover soup?” he replied as he started pouring out the soup into nearby bowls.

Yunho playfully slapped Donghae’s head. “I know I got drunk, silly. But how did I get so drunk? I never had a hangover before.”

Donghae carefully carried the two hot steaming bowls to the table. “You said it was because of a girl last night. A girl who had rejected you,” he said carefully.

“Girl.” Yunho rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he sat down. “Didn’t you say something about a girlfriend?”

Donghae, who was gathering the spoons, froze. “What?”

“Don’t lie to me, Donghae. You were never a good liar.”

Donghae put down the spoons and sighed. “Yeah, I had one. We broke up about a year ago though.”

“Why did I never hear about this?” Yunho took a spoon and a bowl. “Thanks.”

“Because you never asked. Also, you were studying abroad.” Donghae sat down. “We were dating secretly because she didn’t want her parents to know, otherwise I would have told you. I should have known that would mean our relationship wouldn’t last.”

Yunho nodded sympathetically. “Why did you ask her out?”

“She was pretty, and really smart. She seemed stiff, like a programmed robot, but when I bumped into her, she completely loosened up.” Donghae shrugged. “It seemed like it would be a waste to pass her up. But…” He bit his lip, then shook his head. “Yeah.” He picked up his spoon and started eating.

“How did you guys break up?” Yunho asked softly.

Donghae put down his spoon. “I don’t know hyung.” He looked right at Yunho. “I actually don’t know. It kinda just…happened.”

Yunho noticed how Donghae’s hand was shaking and knew he couldn’t press any further. “So what is my schedule today?”

“Your father wants you to talk to the manager of Shanghai’s division today at 3 o’clock.” Donghae scratched his head. “I…can’t remember the rest.”

“It’s fine. Why don’t you take the day off?”

Donghae smiled. “Was planning to anyway. Take care of yourself, hyung, okay?”

Yunho nodded and watched him walk out of the door.

Only if I could heal all of your pain, Donghae…