It starts like any other day.

Perhaps the reason why Kyuhyun tends to forget about things is because he is busy, with school (trying to keep his genius image, he says, but in truth, he only wants to have something decent so his parents will be proud of him), with choir, and with basketball. Sometimes, it seems like he doesn’t have time anymore with his games, which are like his saving grace before.

Things with Sooyeon and Miyoung are becoming easier, too.

Maybe Jongwoon is right. It’s difficult, but not impossible.

Sometimes, Kyuhyun forgets that Yoona still exists and he forgets that Yoona never agreed to anything he said when they talked. He doesn’t want to think so bad of Yoona, but with the things she did, he feels like there’s that constant danger of Yoona hurting him or someone important to him. He doesn’t want that anymore, doesn’t want to think of that anymore but with finals coming, the inter-university choir competition, and Winter Cup, there’s just a limit of which Kyuhyun can think of.

Jongwoon, Yesung, and the girl he met on that familiar and nostalgic yet he doesn’t seem to have any memories beforehand neighborhood are even beside the point.

Maybe it’s not that Kyuhyun isn’t thinking about it?

Maybe Kyuhyun doesn’t want to think about it?

Anyway, it really for everyone in the university participating in extra-curricular activities that most major extra-curricular activities are set on the second semester. Not only the university is busy rooting for their basketball team, there’s also that inter-university choir competition that the university is hailed the champion for six years straight. Of course, there’s pressure but more than pressure, there’s that thrill of wanting to win and bring pride to your alma mater.

That is what’s on Kyuhyun, Jongwoon, and Ryeowook’s shoulders now.

“But,” Kyuhyun can’t really help asking, “why us?”

He isn’t boasting and being arrogant when he says that he’s got one of the best voices in their university’s choir and he’ll definitely acknowledge Jongwoon and Ryeowook’s voices, too. He can’t say which is best, because that can depend on the listener’s point of view but he can say that the three of them have probably the best among the whole choir. But that’s not what he is asking Maestro Jang. He’s asking why he and Jongwoon are being paired up for the duet. (Ryeowook has been appointed to be the one to join the solo competition while he and Jongwoon are going to compete in the duet competition.)

It’s not that Kyuhyun doesn’t want that or he isn’t happy about it. Of course, he is!

“I just want to know,” Kyuhyun adds, glancing at Jongwoon who looks as dumbfounded as he is, but with different reason.

For Jongwoon, joining an extra-curricular activity isn’t a good idea already. But he loves singing and it’s one of the few things he is really good at. It can take away his mind when things are getting really difficult to deal with. It can free him and it can make him happy. It isn’t about Kyuhyun at first, although he is a little surprise to see Kyuhyun in the choir in the beginning. But more and more, singing with the choir, with Kyuhyun, especially, it’s becoming more and more enjoyable for Jongwoon and he can’t exchange the time singing together with anything else. Although, joining an inter-university competition will be different.

“Your voice harmonizes best, Kyuhyun-ssi,” Maestro Jang simply answers.

Jongwoon sighs. Naturally, he’ll decline the appointment. He can, as a matter of fact, because there’s no forcing in the choir. If you don’t want to do something, even if you’re the best person to do it, you can decline the appointment such as this to join the duet competition but in truth, Jongwoon doesn’t really want to decline. He wants to sing together with Kyuhyun.

“You know, you’re a bass, right?” Maestro Jang continues talking to Kyuhyun and Jongwoon as Ryeowook begins studying the song he is supposed to be singing for his solo. He smiles and says, “Jongwoon-ssi, on the other hand, is a baritone. I’m not sure if you’re going to follow, but since you asked, I’m only going to answer, okay?” He laughed, or more accurately, roared in laughter. Sometimes, he can be so meticulous and strict during practice but on other times, Maestro Jang is mostly like their father in the choir.

“The vocal range of the baritone lies between the bass and tenor ranges, overlapping both of them,” Maestro Jang looks at Jongwoon, who is looking so confusedly at him, and smiles at him. “While the bass,” this time, he looks at Kyuhyun, “is the lowest male voice. The bass has the lowest tessitura, or the most musically acceptable and comfortable range, of all the voices. Sometimes, I don’t really get it, how baritone and bass harmonizes so well. The typical baritone range is from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C, which is exactly two octaves. In the lower and upper extremes, a baritone's range can be extended at either end. However, the typical bass range lies between the second E below middle C to the E above middle C. In the lower and upper extremes of the bass voice, some basses can sing from the C two octaves below middle C to the G above middle C…” At which point, Kyuhyun and Jongwoon are already staring at Maestro Jang like he’s talking in alien language.

Maestro Jang is about to continue talking, the comparison of Kyuhyun and Jongwoon’s vocal ranges, but when he looks at them, they look like lost puppies, not knowing what the hell the person in front of them is talking about. He laughs and pats both Kyuhyun and Jongwoon’s shoulder, “The point is, I don’t really get it myself, but your voice, the two of you, they fit together like sun to the sky and wedding ring to the ring finger. So, practice well, okay? This is going to be your piece.” He hands them a piece of paper, similar to what Ryeowook is holding.

“I’m sure the three of you will do well,” Maestro Jang says before leaving the three of them and going to talk to the other members of the choir for the group competition. “You might even win,” he teases, before finally leaving the three alone.

Jongwoon stares at the piece of paper he’s holding and realizes that it’s really happening. He’s really going to sing a duet with Kyuhyun for the duet competition and there’s no turning back now.

Kyuhyun approaches him, probably thinking the same thing that’s going on Jongwoon’s mind.

“Hyung, are you okay?”

“Yes,” Jongwoon answers, “why?”

“You don’t look okay. Is it about the duet?”

“No,” Jongwoon lies, “I’m fine.”

“You don’t want to sing together with me?”

Suddenly, Jongwoon looks up at Kyuhyun and realizes that he hasn’t been facing the younger one, he’s tightly holding the lyrics on his hand, and when he studies himself and his actions, even he doesn’t look okay to himself. There’s just something, and Jongwoon knows it’s coming, but he doesn’t know what he can do about it anymore.

“No!” Jongwoon shrieks, alarming practically everyone else in the room.

“No?” Kyuhyun looks kind of hurt, but he doesn’t want to show it so much. He isn’t a little boy.

“I mean, no, that’s not it,” Jongwoon immediately says, slightly panicking. “I want to sing together with you, Kyu…” He sighs, “There’s just so many things going on my mind lately.”

Kyuhyun nods his head. “Things like what, hyung?”

Things I want to tell you. Things I should tell you. Things I don’t know how to tell you. “Nothing,” Jongwoon says, smiling weakly at Kyuhyun. “Don’t worry, Kyu. I’ll practice hard for our duet. Maestro Jang said we can even win.”

“Right,” Kyuhyun mutters. “Like we’re not pressured enough.”

Jongwoon laughs, thankful that Kyuhyun dropped the subject he’s asking immediately.

But not really.

“What do you have on your mind, hyung?” Kyuhyun asks again.

Maybe he already knows. Maybe he’s just waiting for Jongwoon to tell him the truth.

Jongwoon gazes back at Kyuhyun, looking at him so earnestly that Jongwoon can’t do it anymore. He can’t keep it anymore to himself. Kyuhyun should know. He has the right to know. He deserves to know. How the hell he’s going to tell everything to Kyuhyun doesn’t matter anymore. He can start in the end, with him talking to Kyuhyun now, and he can end in the beginning, where it all began. Hyesung.

Noona, Jongwoon silently thinks.

“Kyuhyun, can we talk?” Jongwoon asks instead instead of answering Kyuhyun’s question, looking so determined.

“What do you mean, hyung?” Kyuhyun looks surprised, then he laughs. “We’re talking.”

“No, I mean, later,” Jongwoon says decisively. “After choir practice?”

Kyuhyun looks unsure at first, but since it’s Jongwoon, he realizes there’s nothing to be afraid or unsure of. He nods his head and smiles at Jongwoon, “Of course, hyung.”

Jongwoon sighs, slightly relieved but more nervous. This is going to be it. He’s finally going to tell Kyuhyun everything. He looks at Kyuhyun, and when he sees the younger smiling at him, he thinks, It’s going to be alright. He finally manages to smile back at Kyuhyun.

“You two can practice, you know,” Ryeowook suddenly points out, peering slightly from his lyrics sheet.

Kyuhyun makes him a face and Jongwoon chuckles.

“Okay, okay,” Jongwoon says to Ryeowook and gesturing for Kyuhyun to come closer so they can read the lyrics together. Kyuhyun sits beside Jongwoon and their shoulders bump and maybe, there’s a little spark. But neither says anything, because seriously, what can either of them say?

Kyuhyun slightly looks sideways over Jongwoon.

Jongwoon feels it, but chooses not to face Kyuhyun. Because if he does, he might not be able to say what he needs to say later. He might not be able to tell Kyuhyun everything because truth is, Jongwoon is also afraid. What will Kyuhyun think of him after Jongwoon tell him everything? It’s imperative that it’s needed, that Kyuhyun deserves it, but is it not going to change things between them? Are they still going to be the same Jongwoon and Kyuhyun after it? Who will Kyuhyun choose: Yesung or Jongwoon?

There’re just so many things and Jongwoon is afraid of them.

But he thinks, more than anything, there’s just one thing he’s truly afraid of and that is to lose Kyuhyun.

“Here,” Jongwoon says again, pointing at the first stanza of the song, maintaining his stare on the sheet of paper. “Let’s start here?”

Kyuhyun finally looks back on the paper, nodding his head. Then, he takes a deep breath and he knows he should move a little, more comfortably to be able to sing better, but he remains in his slightly awkward position because he wants to lean, even so little, into Jongwoon’s shoulder. He opens his mouth and it’s like he is lost in the words of the song.

I want to erase all of my insufficient self

It seems like someone like me has nothing to give to you

It’s difficult for Jongwoon not to look at Kyuhyun, especially when he sings. It’s like there’s something in Kyuhyun’s voice that’s drawing Jongwoon in, but no matter what, Jongwoon knows what must be done and he doesn’t want to escape this anymore. He feels Kyuhyun’s shoulder slightly shaking against his and when it calms, he closes his eyes and loses his own self to the next line.

The side of me that I kept hidden, the one that wants you, my sincerity

Not even once was I able to show it to you

Ryeowook stares at them in awe. He knows Maestro Jang didn’t choose them because ‘he doesn’t get why their voices harmonize so much’. Their voices harmonize so much, that’s why Maestro Jang chose them. Ryeowook smiles and returns his gaze back on his own song, hoping that he’ll do as well as they will on his own competition.