your universe

Tell me something...
When the rain falls on my face,
how do you quickly replace it with a golden summer smile?


Changmin leaned his head on the wall of the practice room; sweat flowed in streams from his hairline to his brows. He paused to take a breather before standing up and rehearsing the dance routine all over again.

“Changmin-ah! Don’t tire yourself too much, neh?” Jaejoong called out to him before the latter goes out the door along with the rest of the trainees.

“Min-ah is working hard to show Sooman-songsaengnim that he made the right
choice of putting him up with us in Dong Bang Shin Ki.” Junsu joked.

The rest of the bunch roared with laughter and gave the young boy approving looks before disappearing behind the door. Changmin looked at his retreating friends, shook his head, and grinned mostly to himself.

The room is almost empty now except for him and three female trainees. Changmin took no notice as how the three stopped practicing and walked towards where their bags are located.

“You are such a slowpoke that the rest of the oppas left us already!”
“Why do we need to go after them? You are so weird, Yul.”
“You don’t get it silly. You see, when we eat with them, they will pay for our food!”

The two continued bickering, not noticing that the other girl isn’t following them anymore.

“Changmin-sunbaenim. Aren’t you going to eat lunch?”

Changmin looked up to see a pair of brown eyes looking at him.
“Sunbae?”

“I heard you’re going to debut soon. Congratulations.” The girl smiled and Changmin swore the room glowed a thousand times brighter.

“I wi---”

“Sooyoung! Are you coming or not?”

“Yes, Sica-unnie!” she motioned for the elder girl to wait before looking back to the boy. “Don’t skip meals.” She said briefly before she ran to keep up with the two girls.

Changmin said nothing but his eyes followed her until she disappeared from view.


Tell me something...
When I'm feelin' tired and afraid,
how do you know just what to say to make everything alright?


“Yes?”

Sooyoung scratched her head absent-mindedly in mild confusion. It was seven in the morning and Changmin stood outside their dorm door looking at her without saying anything.

“Changmin-ssi, is there anything wrong?”

She received no answer. Then the boy suddenly took her hand in his and pulled her through the lobby to a staircase. Sooyoung, though confused, simply followed him. They didn’t stop until they reached the rooftop.

Changmin pulled his hand away gently and wiped it hastily behind his back. His hands felt sweaty and he suddenly felt ashamed holding her hand. He heard his heart do some somersaults and his throat seemed to dry up from the tension.

“Soo…” He hesitates for a moment; he unconsciously folds and unfolds his hand behind his back. Sooyoung looked at him with raised eyebrows, as if telling him to continue.

“Sooyoung-ssi, I like you. Would you be my girlfriend?”

He said it too fast that even he himself wondered what the hell he just said. He looked at Sooyoung to see her reaction.

None.

He silently nagged at himself for such an embarrassing situation. He was about to turn around and walk away when a hand closed on his.

He looked at their connected hands and then to the girl in front of him. She was silent; her eyes boring into his. He saw her lips quiver for a moment, and then he didn’t remember anything else. Warm feeling spreading inside his body and it broke into his face as a genuinely happy smile as her words rang in his ears.

“I’m yours, oppa.”


Tell me something...
When I'm 'bout to lose control,
how do you patiently hold my hand and gently calm me down?


“They said TVXQ is forever! I thought our brotherhood is forever!”
Changmin punched the door hard, leaving an ugly dent on the wooden flap.

He sat down on the floor with his head buried on his hands.
“We… we made this dream together!” the words came out like a croak as tears started to fall from his eyes.

Sooyoung looked at the crying boy from the far side of the room.

It hurts her seeing him like this. Changmin has always been strong; always been cold; always been indifferent. That’s what he is to the public but Sooyoung knows that at the end of the day, when the doors are closed and the world gets tired of listening, he breaks down. Like a fragile little boy torn with his insecurities and doubts of the world.

She knows. She is like that too.

The room echoed of Changmin’s muffled sobs and Sooyoung bit her lip to stop the tears from flowing. She stood up and walked slowly towards him. She sat down in front of the broken boy and wrapped her arms around him.

“I love you, Min.”

Three words of assurance. Full of promise, full of hope. Three words that can summarize what a million words may point to.

And Changmin cried harder.
The tears fell like raindrops but his heart felt a thousand times lighter.

He knows he’s not alone.


Tell me something...
When you sing and when you laugh,
why do I always photograph my heart flying way above the clouds?


“Baka desu ka?”
“Iie, anata wa baka desu yo!”
“Haha oppa, you lose! That’s a statement and not a question!"

And Changmin felt his ear sting where Sooyoung’s pillow hit it hard.

“Ow! You hit too hard! Pabo-yah!”
“No, you’re pabo. Your Japanese !” she gave out a laugh.

That laughter sounded like tinkling bells in his ear. “You arrogant dork. You’re lucky you get to practice.” He then reached out to pinch her cheeks; moving her head back and forth.

“Aiya! It hurts!” the girl whined, rubbing the part Changmin pinched; a red mark appeared across it.
“It hurts. Let’s not play Questions Only ever again.” She said while trying to blink back the tears.

Changmin felt a sharp pang of guilt upon seeing his girlfriend’s pained expression; the red gash on her cheek still visible.

“Did it really hurt that much?” He moved nearer and touched her swollen cheek.
“I’m sorry.” He the part gently and then he leaned forward to kiss it.
“Oppa will make it disappear. Go away pain, go away!” he kept saying while kissing Sooyoung’s cheek again and again.

“Is it gone now?” he asked before planting another kiss.
“Not yet?” he leaned again only to have Sooyoung slap him on the forehead.
“Neh, oppa. It’s fine now. You’re abusing it. Baka desu yo.” A smile spread across her face and Changmin didn’t fail to notice the sparkle in her eye when she beamed.

He felt a smile crept on his lips. He pulled Sooyoung, burying her face on his chest. He kissed the top of her head and rocked her back and forth while he softly whispered.

“Yah, stupid girl. I love you so.”


I don't think that you even realize
the joy you make me feel when I'm inside
Your universe...
You hold me like I'm the one who's precious
I hate to break it to you but it's just the other way around...


The sky is a deep, dark blue quilt and the stars appeared like a thousand glimmering diamonds. A soft evening breeze passed, sending ripples running on the surface of the Han River. Changmin stared at the breathtaking reflection of the Seoul nightscape mirrored on the water and then to the girl sitting silently beside him. She was looking straight, as if hypnotized by the scene in front of her. A smile broke in his face and his eyes fell on the scrapbook he has on his hands.

Sooyoung and Changmin
Three years of wonderful memories and counting.

Sooyoung’s scrawny handwriting written on the book cover. A bookmark peeked out from the pages and Changmin need not read it again to know what was written.

“Oppa, thank you for coming into my life. I never knew another kind of happiness until you showed me. Let us be together until the end. Saranghamnida.”

He had it memorized by heart.
He looked back at his girlfriend before taking her hand on his.

“You act as if it’s your first time going to the Han River.” He teased.

Sooyoung looked at him, her face glowing in the evening light.

“I’ve never been here with my special someone before.”

Changmin gazed at her with a smile on his face as he tucked her hair behind her ear.

“Happy third anniversary, honey.” He said softly before crossing the distance between them, his lips pressing gently on hers.

He broke the kiss gently afterwards and held Sooyoung’s hands tighter on his. He took out a small box from his pocket and kneeled in front of her.

“Marry me, my Sooyoungie.”


You can thank your stars all you want but
I'll always be the lucky one...