Two weeks of semestral break might be short for some students but for Kyuhyun, those two weeks are dragging, ultra-long and absolutely boring time for him, not that he’s counting the minutes, hours and days that are passing until he gets back to his university dorm room and in the university and not that he’s looking at his phone every moment he gets a chance on (which is like always) to see if there’s a message from Yesung.

Unfortunately though, for him, there are no text messages, voice messages, calls, instant messages or private messages.

There is absolutely none and it’s not even strange for Kyuhyun anymore that he feels empty, like there’s a jar inside him and the few remaining beads in it and getting lesser and lesser each passing minute that he hasn’t heard anything from Yesung.

“Guard your heart, Kyuhyun.”

He hears a familiar, soft voice behind him. The Thanksgiving Ball has successfully ended. Well, successful for every couple who are born and for every on-the-verge-of-break-up couple who made up that night but for Kyuhyun, probably not. Almost everybody has piled out and all that’s left are the staffs who are in charge of cleaning up. Kyuhyun is still standing there, in the same spot where he’s holding a glass of wine and on that same place where he heard Yesung’s words. Not his voice but at least, his words.

Kyuhyun turns around because as much as he doesn’t want to be bothered to talk to particularly anybody that night, the voice is undeniably familiar and it actually sounds like Sungmin.

“Sungmin?”

It’s strange that when it comes to other people, Kyuhyun is pretty sharp when it comes to their voices. Not that he’s denying it, but Kyuhyun is part of the choir not just because of his beautiful, heavenly voice but because of his genius knowledge in music and in voices. It’s not just with music or voices. Kyuhyun is really a genius. Not when it comes to things that truly matter, unfortunately.

Sungmin walks forward and stands beside Kyuhyun.

“Guard your heart,” Sungmin repeats, looking at the stage where Kyuhyun’s eyes are previously concentrated before he revealed his presence.

Kyuhyun is now looking at Sungmin; confusion is the emotion most obvious emotion is his still-masked face.

For the third and last time that night, Sungmin says, “Guard your heart,” and is about to walk away but before he does so, he whispers ever so quietly that Kyuhyun isn’t sure if he’s heard it right, “if you don’t want to feel that same pain again.”

Kyuhyun momentarily drops his back at the swivel chair he’s sitting on in front of his computer at home, remembering Sungmin’s words. And the thing on Kyuhyun’s mind? What the hell is Sungmin saying and why is he being so creepy?

Kyuhyun has known Sungmin ever since like forever. Before he even met Sooyeon and before he became friends with Donghae, Hyukjae and Ryeowook, before he met Yesung and Jongwoon, and before he met Sooyoung and Joohyun (which is like, the most recent). Sungmin is a good friend, if Kyuhyun will be asked what kind of friend is Sungmin. He’s a serious person, but he’s also a kind one, especially to those who he truly cares for, such as his friends and his family. And in those many years that he’s been best friends with Sungmin, there’s one thing he learns about his best friend. Sungmin never says anything he doesn’t mean.

That’s why he’s often regarded as cold even when in truth, Sungmin is really a soft, kind-hearted person. Because whenever he says something, there’s a tone of seriousness and an edge of honesty in his voice that is often misinterpreted as emotionless and stone-heartedness.

Kyuhyun utters a loud sigh of frustration and wonders what the others are doing.

After tomorrow, a new semester will finally begin and Kyuhyun isn’t saying that he loves the university and the pressure of having to pass (or for him, to get the best scores of) all his subjects, but Kyuhyun loves Yesung and in the university, there is Yesung. Yesung will probably message him when the school starts again and well, that’s what Kyuhyun loves and that’s what Kyuhyun is waiting for.

Hyukjae kisses Jieun, passionately like there is love in there but there isn’t any actually, hungrily like there is longing but all is there is the eagerness to kiss and to get kissed. He touches Jieun’s hair like he means it and Jieun smiles at him like she loves him but after that, he only says, “I’ll see you at school?”

Jieun nods.

Hyukjae leans over at her again and is about to kiss her forehead, but decides against that because he’s not promising anything like being her knight in shining armor and instead, aims for her lips again. Their kisses are always like that, passionate and hungry and to be honest, Hyukjae thinks that’s all their kisses are going to be. No love.

Joohyun opens the pocketbook she is reading called “Everyday” by David Levithan, then closes it again because she’s practically read that for more than ten times already. The plot is already engraved in her mind and she even knows where to find her favorite quotes by now.

It’s about a person called A who’s soul is transferred from one body to another everyday, without a miss, allowing him to live as a different person each day and the question the book is asking is: Is it possible to love a person who is changing everyday?

She looks over at the window, outside at the rose garden her mother is cultivating on their front yard and wonders how Jongwoon is doing. Furthermore, she wonders if Jongwoon and Kyuhyun’s story will be like a mirrored replica of A and Rhiannon’s, a bittersweet story of eventual and inevitable letting go because there really isn’t any other destination other that than.

Donghae runs the long alley, panting upon reaching the end and looking as though he wants to run for more. Sunye is the girl Donghae met at the ball and they’ve been dating for two weeks. He actually doesn’t mean to be a possessive boyfriend because Donghae doesn’t want his girlfriend to be like that, too, though he finds it a little cute. But when he sees Sunye kissing another guy, he wonders if he should break up with her or just pretend that he didn’t see what he saw.

But the cruel truth in life is, what is seen cannot be unseen; what is heard cannot be unheard.

“Donghae-ah,” she says over the phone. “Where are you? Aren’t we supposed to meet in front of the university?”

He takes a deep breath and fakes an excited tone. “Behind you,” he whispers.

Sunye turns around and kisses Donghae on the lips. He doesn’t even marvel that she takes like beef curry and the exact place where he saw her kissing another guy is in front of a beef curry restaurant. Donghae forces himself not to vomit.

Sooyoung finishes her third gallon of vanilla ice cream because she figures that when school starts again, she won’t have much time to eat that much of ice cream. She’s lying on her stomach and is watching a boring television show when she notices her phone screen lighting up. Intrigued, she her spoon and sits up, unlocking her phone and wondering who’s texting her.

Sooyoung-ah, how’s your break? ^^ Have you heard from Jongwoon-oppa?

It’s from Joohyun. She and Joohyun aren’t exactly living at the opposite end of each other, but neither of them initiated to meet up in the entirety of their two weeks break. Not because they don’t miss each other but because it’s a break and they would like to actually they a break off things.

However, as Sooyoung smiles, apparently Joohyun hasn’t been taking a break like they decided to. She’s worried and Sooyoung is, too. Jongwoon’s last words flash on her mind. “Thank you… very much.”

Boring. >.< No, I haven’t heard from oppa. I hope he’s alright though. I’ll see you on Monday!

She stands up and proceeds to their kitchen, to their huge refrigerator to be specific and gets another gallon of vanilla ice cream. She couldn’t wait to see Joohyun and Jongwoon again.

Sungmin is one of the very few students who don’t go home even when they have long breaks such as their two weeks semestral break. It’s not that he doesn’t miss his family. Of course, he does but Sungmin is thinking a lot. As a matter of fact, he is thinking and he is particularly investigating, sort of like he shifted from medicine to criminology.

From Yesung to Kyuhyun.

When Sungmin first catches a glimpse of Kyuhyun’s phone one time when his friend is giddily texting somebody, he isn’t sure if he read it right but the receiver’s name says: Yesung. But at the Thanksgiving Ball, when Sungmin heard it, he’s sure of it.

Yesung.

Unlike Kyuhyun who is a fan of clans that Sungmin can’t quite figure out why Kyuhyun is so interested it, Sungmin isn’t really. He is often asking himself why the hell would you want to talk to somebody who you don’t have any idea who in real life and why would you want to be friends with them when you don’t actually meet them. He can’t think of any other reason besides loneliness.

He taps and taps on his keyboard, searching for anybody at school that goes with the name of Yesung. It’s hard because he doesn’t have any surname but Sungmin is really trying his best, not the type to give up easily.

In those two weeks that he spent looking for somebody with the name of Yesung, Sungmin hasn’t gotten even one piece information about him.

Sooyeon lets herself get pushed against the wall, her face a vivid color of crimson and her eyes sparkling with affection despite the darkness of the room. She raises her hand to touch the other person’s face and relaxes her head on the hard concrete behind her.

Before their lips met, Sooyeon murmurs dreamily, “Miyoung-ah.”

Jongwoon opens the door of his room and breathes in the air, feeling alive after two weeks. His parents had arranged for them to have a vacation overseas. Well, they’ve arranged a vacation with Hyesung. The only time Jongwoon is allowed to be Jongwoon is when his parents are asleep and that’s the only time when Jongwoon wandered around Prague, the said City of Love.

He wonders what it’s like if Kyuhyun is there with him.

He wonders what it’s like if Kyuhyun is holding his hand tightly, like he never wants to let go.

He wonders what it’s like if Kyuhyun is walking, side by side with him.

He wonders what it’s like if Kyuhyun is beside him.

He wonders what it’s like.

He wonders of Kyuhyun.

A/N: Hello, guys! First of all, thank you very much because you still want me to continue this story. I really feel happy and I really appreciate all the support! I’ll try my best, guys. Fighting! ^^

This chapter is sort of like the closing of the previous arc and the beginning of the next arc. >.< This shows a glimpse of how the other “side” characters are doing because hey, Kyuhyun and Jongwoon aren’t only the characters in this story. :)) (And well, it seems like by now, I’d suggest for Kyuhyun to get help. Haha!)

I’m so, so sorry for not commenting fast to your comments. >.< I will, I promise! – Elle Kim