Our Time

Late December, 2015…

            Ryeowook grabbed his watch from the nightstand and put it on, then he shoved his phone into his pocket before heading out of the bedroom.  When he reached the living room, he grabbed his keys and wallet from the coffee table.  He then walked over to the couch and bent down to peck Kyuhyun on the lips—mumbling something about the fact that he wouldn’t be gone long—before walking over to the front door. 

            Kyuhyun looked up at the wall clock from his spot on the couch where he was watching television.  It was only a little after ten in the morning.  He sat there, rethinking what day it was and what their calendars said, last he’d checked, but he couldn’t recall anything on his husband’s schedule until he had to be at the radio station later that night. 

            “Is it cold out?” Ryeowook asked as he slipped on his tennis shoes.  Although it was the middle of winter, some days were warmer than others.

            “Yeah,” Kyuhyun answered, watching as Ryeowook opened the front closet.  Ryeowook found a scarf and wrapped it around his neck before continuing to look for mittens.  “Where are you headed?”

            “The Military Manpower Administration.”

            Confused, Kyuhyun got up and walked over to his husband.  “What for?”

            Ryeowook grabbed one of his many baseball hats from the front closet.  It was the easiest way to conceal himself in public if he didn’t want to take a manager with.

            “I can’t actually leave the country for the Super Camp Tokyo event next month without clearance.  I have to run down there and fill out some paperwork first,” he explained.

            Kyuhyun slumped against the wall and looked down at the wooden floor, suddenly recalling the upcoming dates for their trip to Tokyo and eventually Ryeowook’s enlistment date.  What had once seemed so far off suddenly wasn’t anymore.  “Oh…I guess I didn’t realize that it was so close…you couldn’t leave home a-anymore.”

            Ryeowook stopped ruffling through all their coats in the closet and looked over at him.  The area around Kyuhyun’s eyes had turned red and his eyes had become wet with unshed tears.  Damn.  He’d been waiting for this breakdown for weeks, but Kyuhyun had avoided facing Ryeowook’s impending enlistment by staying busy with work.  In fact, Ryeowook had never seen his husband take on more projects at once in his life.  He was performing in a musical, filming a web drama, still hosting Radio Star, participating in their KRY concerts—after finishing his solo release only a few months ago—and still joining in the random Super Junior activity.  The man barely had time to think.  And Ryeowook suspected that was the point.  If he had no time, he wouldn’t dwell on the fact that they were about to start a two and a half year absence from one another. But one can only avoid the truth for so long. 

            Kyuhyun turned around and walked back into the living room, his back to Ryeowook as he brought his hands up to his face. 

            Ryeowook set his mittens down on the side table and followed after his husband, wrapping his arms around Kyuhyun’s waist from behind.  “It will be okay.”

            Kyuhyun shook his head.  “I’m not okay.”

            “You’ve been hiding it well up to this point.”

            “I know.”

            Ryeowook hugged him tight, pressing his cheek against Kyuhyun’s shoulder.  “You don’t have to hide it from me.  I don’t like the fact that I’ve leaving any more than you do.”

            Kyuhyun reached down to grasp Ryeowook’s hand, his fingers still damp with tears, and squeezed.  “I just didn’t want to make it any harder than it was already going to be.”

            “I’d rather you tell me how you feel.  You’ll probably end up losing it the day before I head out if you bottle it up now.  What will that get us?”

            Kyuhyun shrugged.      

            “Do you want to come with me?”

            “I better not,” Kyuhyun said, laughing humorlessly to himself.  “I might kiss you in front of them so they kick you out instead…then we’d have a lot of explaining to do.”

            Ryeowook stood on his tiptoes to kiss Kyuhyun’s cheek and then released him to get dressed.  He noticed Kyuhyun’s navy blue pea coat hanging in the front of the closet and pulled it on.  “Want me to bring lunch back?”

            Kyuhyun nodded as he sat back down on the couch.  “Drive safe.  I love you.”

            “I love you too,” Ryeowook said, sighing heavily as he headed out the door.  Leaving, even if only for a couple hours or the day, was getting harder and harder to do.  The idea of walking away for a couple years made his chest hurt.  He didn’t want to think if it any more than Kyuhyun did.

Mid-January, 2016…

            Ryeowook was folding clean laundry in the bedroom and putting it into a cardboard box when he glanced over at Kyuhyun, who was sitting on the bed and paying some of their bills online, his laptop perched on his legs.  Ryeowook cleared his voice and finally spoke up.  It had to be said.

            “I should probably go visit my parents this weekend.”

            Kyuhyun’s fingers froze over the keys and his eyes turned to Ryeowook.  Then he shook his head.

            “Yes,” Ryeowook insisted.  “It’s only fair.  I stayed with you all this time instead of living with them.  I completely broke my promise to my mother.  The least I could do is spend a weekend or two with them before I leave.