Chapter Four

 

            “Kyuhyun-ah!”

 

            Kyuhyun turned around to the call of his name. Two ladies were walking toward him. There was a man who followed closely behind the pair as well.

 

            It was a bright Saturday - blinding, humid and absolutely dull. It was summer and Kyuhyun had to go out and do something. Playing video games at home was pretty nice until the AC went haywire. Besides, Kyuhyun’s friends made plans for the weekend anyway. With nothing better to do until the AC got fixed, Kyuhyun decided to tag along even though the hot summer air really annoyed him. He didn’t like sweating too much. Was there anyone who actually did like sweating? Kyuhyun didn’t know and, under this unbearable heat, he didn’t care. Just then, his friends reached him and they greeted each other with a slight bow.

 

            Like old times…

 

            “You grew taller again!” one of the two ladies said.

 

            She was tall and slim, a little tanned but really pretty nonetheless. She had short hair and when she smiled, a rather lovely smile actually, her cheekbones would rise just a little. She had chubby cheeks but was really very skinny. She seemed the type of person who could liven up a party by just talking.

 

            “You haven’t gotten fatter at all! You should eat lots then exercise!” the other lady said, laughing.

 

            She was a little tanned too but was very attractive. She looked like a model with her balanced physique and long hair. Like her friend, she was tall and had a warm smile. Though her aura had that mischievous prankster glow, she was poised and polite.

 

            Kyuhyun chuckled at the comments he received then decided to strike up a conversation with the quiet man the women were with.

 

            “Been a long time, hasn’t it?” Kyuhyun started, folding his arms. “Kibum-ah.”

 

            The other man smiled. It was dazzling and charming, his smile. The last time Kyuhyun saw his childhood friend’s brilliant smile was five years ago, when the young fellow moved to America.

 

            “Yeah. Nothing really changed here, right?” Kibum asked, looking around Hongdae and the busy passersby.

 

            Kyuhyun nodded.

 

            The two ladies walked ahead while Kyuhyun and Kibum walked behind them. They saw countless men turn their heads around just to catch a glimpse of the girls. The two, though, didn’t seem to notice. What they did observe were the women who would stop and stare at the two men behind them. They giggled at the women’s googly eyes and obvious sighing. Kyuhyun and Kibum did look like idols.

 

            They entered a small café later on. The place had that homey aura to it. Most of the customers looked like teenagers. High schoolers perhaps?

 

            “What do we order?” the prankster-ish woman asked.

 

            Kyuhyun, who sat across her, gave the menu one look then passed it on to Kibum, who sat beside him.

 

            “The usual for me,” Kyuhyun said.

 

            “What do you recommend, Yuri-ah? I’m afraid I have forgotten my usual already,” Kibum asked the prankster-ish woman, not intending to joke about Kyuhyun’s choice.

 

            He really did forget his usual order but Kyuhyun glared at him either way. Yuri thought as she skimmed through the menu she shared with her friend who sat beside her.

 

            “This is the first time I’ve been here in a long while,” Yuri said. “There’re a lot of new choices. What do you think, Sooyoung-ah?”

 

            The other girl laughed.

 

            “I guarantee that everything tastes great but you should really, really try their caramel macchiato,” Sooyoung replied.

 

            She frequented this café even after Kibum moved to America and Kyuhyun and Yuri got busy at their universities. This very café used to be their favorite hangout place.

 

            “I’ll order that then,” Kibum finally said, pleased after hearing the word ‘caramel’.

 

            Yuri looked at Sooyoung, who looked at Kibum, who looked at Kyuhyun then a deadly chill came over the four friends. It was a menacing silence until…

 

            “Kai bai bo!” the group yelled.

 

            Three formed paper and only one held up a fist. Unfortunately, Kyuhyun had to stand up and order for them. It somehow became a tradition when they ate out together. Losers always had to order for the winners.

 

            “You guys planned this behind my back, didn’t you?” Kyuhyun claimed then frowned when his friends snickered at his words.

 

            They were guilty as charged.

 

            “Ah, that’s our Kyuhyunnie,” Kibum mocked, holding back his laughter. The two girls just giggled away.

 

            “Geez. You guys have gotten lazier,” Kyuhyun said as he marched to the cashier.

 

            A young man stood behind the counter. He had a handsome face and three piercings on his left ear, two piercings on the other. If Kyuhyun would guess, the boy probably just finished his freshman year in high school and was off to his junior year after summer vacation. Oh but Kyuhyun was just guessing. He had a knack for those kinds of things.

 

            “Good afternoon, sir. What will you be having today?” the boy asked with a chipper mood.

 

            Kyuhyun suddenly remembered Donghae for some unknown reason.

 

            “One vanilla frappe, two caramel macchiato and one red bean milk tea.”

 

            The boy typed it down onto the machine then ripped the receipt that came out a second later. He passed it to Kyuhyun with a small smile and gestured to the right where there was a table. The café operated like Starbucks. Order, pay and wait. A sudden realization struck Kyuhyun: his friends were too busy making fun of him that they forgot to hand over their individual pay. Kyuhyun ended up paying for all four drinks and he wasn’t really happy about it even if he knew his friends would pay him later. He stood by the table as he waited. He didn’t really pay much attention to the café’s interior when they entered earlier. It seemed bigger and roomy than before. Or maybe he was just imagining.

 

            “Then again, I haven’t been here since Kibum moved away,” Kyuhyun said to himself, unaware of the boy beside him.

 

            “Uh, will you be needing help with those, sir?” he politely asked, pointing at the newly served drinks on the waiting table. Kyuhyun didn’t notice that too.

 

            “Ah, yes. Thank you, uh…” Kyuhyun paused to look at the boy’s nametag. “Jungshin.”

 

            The café also had waiters. Rather, they had employees who would offer to help the customers carry their orders to their tables if necessary. The boy looked around the cashier’s age, Kyuhyun noted. When they reached Kyuhyun’s table, Yuri and Sooyoung ogled Jungshin while Kibum took his caramel macchiato from Kyuhyun and immediately took a sip.

 

            “Here you go,” Jungshin said as he placed the glass of red bean milk tea in front of Yuri.

 

            She smiled inwardly. Somehow, Sooyoung did the same thing when Jungshin served her caramel macchiato.

 

            “Excuse me.”

 

            Jungshin bowed right after he made sure that everyone didn’t need anything anymore and he sauntered back to the kitchen. Sooyoung and Yuri still had those identical goofy grins.

 

            “So cool,” they both said in admiration for Jungshin.

 

            Kibum and Kyuhyun looked at each other then back at the girls.

 

            “Really?” Kibum asked before taking a sip of his drink again. He seemed to enjoy his beverage quite a lot.

 

“Yes, really!” Sooyoung retorted, a little irritated at how Kyuhyun rolled his eyes and Kibum chuckling at them.

 

             Yuri patted Sooyoung’s shoulder to calm her down. She had that mischievous glint in her eyes and both Kyuhyun and Kibum knew too well what was in stored for them if Yuri was like that.

 

“Don’t you guys have girlfriends yet?” Yuri mused jokingly. “What a pity.”

 

Kyuhyun was drinking his vanilla frappe for a minute before he could reply. Kibum didn’t look like he wanted to respond to that.

 

             “Like you two have any guys to carry your shopping bags around,” Kyuhyun deadpanned but Sooyoung and Yuri laughed. “Besides, a relationship right now will be bothersome.”

 

“Yul has a boyfriend, I have a boyfriend. Even Kibum oppa has eyes on someone. Face it, you can’t get a girl,” Sooyoung said and fist-bumped with Yuri.

 

Kibum - while drinking his macchiato - also fist-bumped with Sooyoung.

 

             Kyuhyun scoffed. Even Kibum, his best childhood friend, kept a secret from him. Well, it wasn’t his fault. Kyuhyun stopped contacting him after a year when he was already in America.

 

Kyuhyun held back the urge to glower at Kibum just then. Instead, he shot Kibum a knowing look and the other boy cleared his throat.

 

“Medium-length hair, layered. Chubby cheeks, perfect measurements, balanced body, clear and very fair skin, legs…”

 

Kyuhyun furrowed his eyebrows, a wicked grin creeping up to his lips. Kibum snickered.

 

“If I told you, you’d steal her from me in less than a minute, I’m sure.”

 

Kyuhyun’s mouth shaped into an ‘o’ and he scratched the back of his neck, impressed.

 

“Damn,” he said and Sooyoung and Yuri were satisfied with his reaction. Kibum was very pleased too.

 

“Why don’t you continue, Kibum oppa? I’m really curious about her,” Yuri urged on, half telling the truth and half just wanting to tease Kyuhyun even more.

 

Kibum was almost finished with his caramel drink but he decided to take on Yuri’s offer.

 

“She’s kind. Very kind. A little shy but really dorky. When she smiles, it’s as if she’s melting your worries away. She’s just… Great.”

 

             Sooyoung and Yuri nodded, smiling. Kibum really seemed to like this girl and they just knew with how Kibum talked about her. Kibum never talked like that for the whole five years (seventeen for Kyuhyun) of their friendship.

 

“How’re you going to get her?” Sooyoung questioned after awhile.

 

Kyuhyun looked over at Kibum.

 

“I already got her,” he said proudly which made Yuri and Sooyoung clap their hands in congratulatory regards. “We’re just waiting now. You know?”

 

              Kyuhyun found himself smiling. He wouldn’t admit it, really, but he was really happy for his best childhood friend of seventeen years. So when Kibum saw Kyuhyun smiling, he knew already what his friend wanted to say. He put his hand on Kyuhyun’s shoulder then took it back.

 

“Thanks, Kyu,” was all he said.

 

              Some of the customers up and left a while later. The four friends remained in their seats, just updating each other with whatever. Kyuhyun didn’t talk much. He’d comment from time to time but he didn’t have anything to share so he kept silent. He even wondered about the newly built platform on the far right side of the café. Oh so I wasn’t imagining, Kyuhyun thought. Two employees came out from the kitchen and scurried over to the platform. They were setting up some equipment.

 

“People can perform here now?” Kyuhyun asked Sooyoung, who was also observing the two employees at the platform.

 

“Ah, yeah,” she said. “Mostly teenagers come though. Old men and women don’t perform as often.”

 

Kyuhyun nodded.

 

“Speaking of performing,” Yuri paused for a thought. “Didn’t you perform during high school, Kyu oppa?”

 

Kyuhyun coughed.

 

“That was one time.”

 

Sooyoung clapped her hands.

 

“I remember that! During the school festival wasn’t it? We were juniors then right, Yul?”

 

Yuri nodded, grinning.

 

             Sooyoung and Yuri were Kyuhyun’s two dongsaengs by a year. With Kibum, two years. Yuri was a late ’89 while Sooyoung was an early ’90 so the differences weren’t that much. As with Kibum and Kyuhyun – a late ’87 and an early ’88 respectively - thus, the differences weren’t at all important.

 

“That was for his girlfriend at the time,” Kibum shared, taking the last sip of his caramel drink.

 

Kyuhyun closed his eyes. He didn’t want to see his dongsaengs’ surprised faces. Sooyoung and Yuri’s eyes widened dramatically.

 

“We didn’t know that!” the two girls shouted in unison. Kibum only smiled.

 

“So noisy…” Kyuhyun mumbled. “It was nothing special. Forget it.”

 

Sooyoung shook her head, upset.

 

“And I thought we were close friends, oppa! Then we find out that you performed for a girlfriend that you never told us about before. Seriously…”

 

              “Then again, you guys probably didn’t notice. Kyuhyun was always around girls back in high school. You two wouldn’t have possibly known if one girl was his girlfriend or his flirt buddy. Don’t be upset,” Kibum explained and the glare that Kyuhyun was holding back earlier showed almost instantly.

 

Yuri began giggling.

 

             “Ah well, that’s true,” she commented after some thought. “Kyu oppa is a good hider too so I shouldn’t have reacted much. But I’m curious. Whatever happened to her?”

 

“Which ‘her’? Which girl?” Kibum joked.

 

Sooyoung smiled at the smart reply. Kyuhyun ignored it.

 

“Kyu oppa’s girlfriend,” Yuri said. “Did you two break up after graduation?”

 

              Kibum and Sooyoung paid close attention to Kyuhyun now. The young man was finishing up his vanilla frappe and he thought of just ignoring the question and change the subject. But he knew his friends too well; they’d keep pressing on until they got what they wanted. Kibum already knew though so he didn’t need to participate in the pressing on. Kyuhyun sighed.

 

“She ran away from me.”

 

              The two girls slumped back into their seats, dazed. Kibum stared down at his empty glass without a single word in his head to say to Kyuhyun. Even back then, he couldn’t say anything to Kyuhyun. Déjà vu.

 

“Anyway,” Kyuhyun said after a moment of silence. “You guys still owe me for those drinks. Pay up.”

 

All three friends looked up at Kyuhyun. He had his hand stretched over the table, simply waiting for his friends to pass on the dough. He was just fine.

 

“Can’t we just—“

 

“No.”

 

             “Okay oppa…” Sooyoung muttered as she reached into her purse to get her money. Yuri did the same while Kibum handed his friend a ten dollar bill. Kyuhyun could only smirk.

 

             Stepping out of the café, Kyuhyun noticed a boy carrying a guitar on his way to their direction. When the boy entered the coffee bar, all four of them gazed at the doors.

 

“Must be the performer,” Sooyoung mentioned and the others seemed to agree.

 

             It was already past twelve and the summer afternoon heat was just so scorching. While walking to the park, Kibum’s phone rang. He answered the call, said a few words then hung up.

 

“I have to meet my relatives back at home,” he informed his friends.

 

They all understood and bade Kibum goodbye. He called a cab, got on and off he went.

 

“He just got back after all. Of course he’s gonna be busy,” Yuri said while she, Sooyoung and Kyuhyun stood under a tree for shade.

 

“You didn’t know that he was coming back, huh?”

 

Sooyoung elbowed Kyuhyun and he shook his head in return. He was too busy.

 

“Kibum oppa didn’t mind though. He said he understood how busy you are so yeah. You don’t have to think about it too much.”

 

              Yuri patted Kyuhyun’s arm. He didn’t have any words to say. They stood there for a few minutes. Kyuhyun was standing in between Sooyoung and Yuri. He always thought that those two dongsaengs of his were the younger sisters he never had. Though the duo caused him a lot of headaches back in high school, he was glad that they grew up to be nice girls. He remembered the first time he saw those two. They were being picked on by some of his classmates and, with a brave expression, Sooyoung was already crying. Yuri wanted to fight back and was about to punch one of the guys until Kyuhyun stepped in and the other guys cowered away. Everyone respected Cho Kyuhyun back in the day. They still do except for his friends. He was thankful, still. So after that encounter, no guy bothered bullying the two girls. Aside from Kibum and Kyuhyun, no one ever did. They became close friends for the remaining months before graduation and Kibum left a few days after the ceremony. And then, it was her turn to leave…

 

“No one brought an umbrella, huh? It looks like it’s going to rain,” Yuri pointed out.

 

              Sooyoung let out an exasperated breath at her friend’s observation. It was one of those sudden afternoon downpours. Kyuhyun looked up. Raindrops had already begun sprinkling. From under the tree, the clouds’ tears looked beautiful. Kyuhyun didn’t know why but it just looked that way. As if the rain was ridding him of his memories; of his sad reminiscence of that one person whom he once held close and thought of never letting go… But she got away.

 

“Kyu oppa? You okay?” Sooyoung nudged Kyuhyun on his elbow but the boy didn’t reply.

 

             Yuri glanced at him. He was smiling but raindrops trickled down his cheeks. Yuri tiptoed a little and brushed a droplet on Kyuhyun’s cheek away. For some reason, the bead of rain felt warm on Yuri’s finger. Kyuhyun didn’t move. They stood there until the rain calmed down and it was only a drizzle then. Sooyoung and Yuri looked up at their oppa, more concerned of him than their partially soaked clothes.

 

“Thank you.”