“Hyukjae ya, you stay in this area?” Sungmin asked as they walked through a park, exiting onto a familiar street. Hyukjae nodded, he was too out of breath to reply. An image flashed across his mind and jolted his memory.

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It was 3 years ago. It was supposed to be a day of liberation, yet the news Sungmin had just received from his father was anything but liberating.

“Andwae!” Sungmin shouted, tears forming in his eyes.

“Sungminnie, listen to umma please,” His mother pleaded. “I can’t leave you here, I know you have kyuhyun, but I can’t leave my precious here! You have to come with us, my baby.” Umma’s hands reached out and pulled him into a hug.

Sungmin struggled against the action and broke free, “No!” He shouted again. “I’m not going!” He turned around and ran up to his room.

Sungmin’s umma clutched her chest and sat down on the table, sobbing softly. His appa, who had been silently watching by the side, reached out to pat umma on her shoulder.

“Chagi-ya,” Appa said in his softest voice possible. “Let him be for a while, we can’t expect him to digest this news immediately.”

“B-but,” Umma managed to croak out between sobs. “That’s the first time he’s shouted at us!” More sobs. “What if he refuses to leave with us, yeobo? I can’t leave him here alone!”

“Hush, love.” Appa said as he pulled umma into a hug, allowing umma to cry in his chest. “Like you said, this is the first time he’s shouted at us. This shows how much Kyuhyun means to our sungminnie, doesn’t it?” Appa umma on her head. “Remember that time we tried to run away from home together just because you were moving to daegu? It’s the same with Sungminnie and Kyuhyunnie. Only that Sungmin is going to somewhere further. Kyuhyun’s a sensible child, he’ll understand. Let’s give Sungmin time to talk to kyuhyun. We won’t leave him here, I promise.”

Sungmin sat on the stairs, muffling his sobs as he overheard what his appa had said. He knows, appa knows that sungmin will never stay without them, even if he said that he doesn’t want to leave.

“Kyuhyun has to know. I can’t suddenly disappear.” Sungmin went to his room and took his wallet. Then, he ran out of his house.

The sky was looking threateningly red when he left his house. By the time he alighted from the bus, it had started to pour. He ran and ran, drenched in the rain, till he arrived at Kyuhyun’s house.

“K-Kyuhyun-ah! Kyuhyun, open up!” His fist pounded furiously on the door.

“Minnie?” That all too familiar voice said as the door opened, revealing Kyuhyun’s face in the gap. "Minnie! Why are you so wet! It's raining, why didn't you call me instead! Where's your umbrella?" Kyuhyun anxiously asked. "Quick come in! I'll get you a towel to dry yourself."

“Sungmin-ah, we’re here.” Hyukjae’s words snapped Sungmin out from his thoughts.

“Hyukjae-ah,” Sungmin hesitated. “Does Kyu still stay on this street…?”

“Hmm,” Hyukjae wondered thoughtfully as he fished for his keys from his own bag. “I’m not too sure actually, I haven seen him around for a while. You know, since he doesn’t attend college in Seoul, and neither do I. Like I said, I don’t really talk to him all that much these days. Ah! Here it is!” Hyukjae said as he finally found his keys hiding below his bag.

Sungmin looked down the street and his heart ached with a sense of familiarity. Afterall, he had spent the most part of his two years in Seoul visiting a certain house on this street.

“Umma! Appa! My friend is here!!” Hyukjae’s voice brought Sungmin back to his senses again.

“Aigoo~!” A female voice travelled towards them he Sungmin entered the house. “Is this Sungmin? Sungmin-ah, welcome!”

Sungmin immediately stepped up and bowed, offering his hand after that. “Omoni, nice to meet you. I am Hyukjae’s friend, Lee Sungmin-imnida”

“Aigoo~!” Hyukjae umma took his hand and patted him lightly. “What a well-mannered boy! You can call me umma too, just like hyukjae does!”

“Sure, umma!” Sungmin flashed a smile at hyukjae umma.

“But umma~~!” Hyukjae started whining. “What about me, your good son!”

“Aish, you mean my good-for-nothing son!”

“Umma! How can you say that in front of my friend!” Hyukjae protested. Sungmin chuckled. 

Hyukjae umma ignored him, “Sungminnie ah, you must be tired! Come in and have a good rest. Umma will prepare dinner right now. Go have a shower and have a rest, go!” She patted sungmin on the back and sent him towards the stairs.

“Let’s go sungmin! We can play some games while waiting for dinner!” Hyukjae grabbed Sungmin’s hands and started tugging him away.

“Yah Lee Hyukjae! Not you! Sungminnie can rest, but you come and help me with dinner!”

Around the corner of the street, a figure exited through the park and made his way down the same street. Just moments after Hyukjae was dragged away by his umma, the figure passed by Hyukjae’s house, where a curtain was drawn open. He watched as a boy struggled to carry his luggage up the stairs.

“Hmm, that’s familiar.” He thought. “He looks like…. Nah, he can’t be.” He shrugged away the thought and carried on his way.

He was Kyuhyun, Cho Kyuhyun.

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Yay finally an update! Guess what? Finally handed in my thesis and I'm free as a bird now~ 
Comments pretty please?