It was supposed to be a good day.  Siwon and Kyuhyun were finally graduating after four long years of college together.  It was supposed to be the culmination of yet another chapter of their lives.  The ceremony was to be held in the school's grand stadium.  The mood was jubilant, the sun bright, the people elated.  Kyuhyun and Siwon were both ready to go to grad school together.  They both aimed to get PhDs to become doctors.  They expected to enjoy most of their days in the future together.  Their dream was to work at Seoul Hospital together.  So the day of the graduation ceremony was suppposed to be a day of hope, and happiness.  Today was supposed to be the day Kyuhyun finally had to courage to confess his love to Siwon.

For Kyuhyun, it turned out to be a day of dread, and of realization.

After the ceremony, he rushed to find Siwon, only to find his crush of four years, proposing, to a girl.  He saw her face light up, and she crashed into his arms.  He trembled, but he couldn't stop walking towards Siwon.  Siwon turned to face his best friend, who had forced a shaky smile on his face.

"Hey Kyuhyun, meet Tiffany.  I've been going out with her since high school, but she had to study abroad for college.  We managed to make a long-distance relationship work.  She visited during breaks at home, and I finally decided to propose to her today... So we're engaged!  And... sorry.  I probably should've told you about her, but she wanted to keep this quiet for a while.  And she never got a chance to visit us here at school either..."  Kyuhyun didn't even hear any of the words anymore.  He just slowly processed what had just happened in front of him.  The images kept on replaying in his head.  Siwon on one knee, with a small box in hand.  Opens it to reveal a ring to this girl that I had seen for the first time five minutes ago.  Turns out they've been going on for a long time, and I didn't even know.  I practically lived with him for four years, and I didn't know!  Why..?  And why does it have to be now that I found out...  And why did I have to hide my feelings for so long..?  Why am I so stupid..?  Why did I believe him over the years when he said he only needed me to be happy?  Was I only someone to talk to when his girlfriend wasn't around?

Kyuhyun tried his best to control himself, politely greeting Tiffany and congratulating the engaged couple.  He kept the conversation short, and excused himself, saying he needed to find his parents.  He turned before Siwon could say anymore, hiding the tears already streaming down his cheeks.  He asked his parents to take him home right away.  He didn't want a celebration dinner.  He didn't want any gifts or picture-taking.  He wanted to be in the comfort of his bed.  His parents, knowing something was definitely going on, quietly obeyed and drove him home.  He silently cried during the two hour drive.  When he got home, he went straight to bed.

I should've acted sooner.  I shouldn't have hidden my feelings.  I shouldn't have been content just having him constantly as a friend.  I should've confessed.  But he's been with her since high school...  He clearly didn't have any thoughts for anyone else.  He'd just reject me if I ever confessed... I never had a chance from the start...

He couldn't take the cruel truth anymore, and slowly fell asleep, his face still wet from the tears.

Siwon knocked on the door of the Cho family's house.  He hadn't had time to contact Kyuhyun in almost a month.  He had been busy catching up with his family and Tiffany.  He tried calling and texting Kyuhyun a few times, but the younger never answered.  So in the end, he decided to visit in person.  When he knocked on the door, Kyuhyun's mom answered.

"Who is it?"

"How are you?  It's me, Siwon."

"Oh, hi!  It's great to see you!  Do you need something?"

"Actually, I was wondering if Kyuhyun was home right now."

"He didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"He's... in America right now.  He decided to study abroad in the States, and to finish his education there."  Siwon couldn't process the news.

"W-What?"

"I'm sorry, Siwon-ssi... He told us a few weeks ago that he decided to go on a program that would send him abroad.  He had already been accepted to study there, so he made up his mind.  He left last week."

"O-Oh... thank you, then.  I'm sorry to waste your time."

Back at the apartment he shared with Tiffany, Siwon sat on the sofa like a statue.  He couldn't fathom Kyuhyun leaving for the States like that.  Without telling him anything.  They had made a promise, at the end of their first year of college, that they would stay together.  That they would go to grad school together and even work at the same hospital.  Kyuhyun seemed elated at the idea.  So why did he suddenly go to the States to study?  He would be there for years.  Siwon didn't know how he would handle the distance.  Throughout the summer, Tiffany would find her boyfriend slumped on the couch, a bottle of soju in hand.  When she talked to him, he would respond lifelessly, and the conversation would drop almost instantly.  Both of them felt their relationship quickly deteriorating.  Neither could do anything about it.

The final blow was when Siwon came home from a meal with friends to find Tiffany sleeping with another man.  He hadn't been so angry in years.  He promptly broke up with her, and threw them both out of the house.  She pleaded with him but he wouldn't listen.  Turns out she found another lover while studying abroad.  They were both international students, and came back to Korea together.  She tried to break it to Siwon, but he had proposed the day they met again, and she couldn't reject him at that moment.  Siwon was mortified at the news.  No longer having the desire to fight, or to even live at that point, he asked her to leave.  And she did.

He doesn't know how he managed to go on with life.  He went to the grad school he was supposed to go to with Kyuhyun, alone.  These next years were becoming the longest of his life.  Too much had happened recently.  He lost two important people in his life.  But for some reason, losing Kyuhyun seemed worse than losing Tiffany.  He couldn't even get in contact with Kyuhyun.  He didn't have any phone number to call, as Kyuhyun had to change it when he moved.  Kyuhyun's parents also admit that they weren't sure of how to contact him either.  They had only received some messages through the school on how he was doing.  Siwon had no choice but to move on, and to just complete his courses.

Kyuhyun couldn't bear the changes at first.  The language barriers, the absense of all things familiar were too much for him.  He missed his family.  He missed his friends.  He missed Siwon.  But somehow, he managed to get by.  He was successfully completing his courses at grad school.  He made a few new friends.  His closest friends were Changmin and Minho.  The three were all medical exchange students, so they quickly became close.  He studied often with them, and even started sharing an apartment with them.  He was content, for the time being.  He had learned to isolate himself from Korea, from the past, and from Siwon.

One day, one of his professors wanted to talk over some coffee.  He agreed, and found himself talking to his professor at a cafe.  It was dark out, so not many people were there.  They quietly sipped their coffee for a few minutes.

"So, Marcus.  How is life here?  Wasn't it hard transitioning over to American life?"

"It was, Dr. Lee.  I did have a lot of trouble.  But it's fine now.  I enjoy life here.  I might even stay."  Dr. Lee chuckled.

"Don't you miss Korea?  Your family and friends?"  Kyuhyun's eyes darkened at the mention of his home country.

"I do miss my friends and family.  I love everyone back at home.  But... that's why I decided to leave."  The older man raised his eyebrows at the statement.

"Care to elaborate?"

"..."

"Well, you've already told me more than I need to know.  I just hope that you have a chance to resolve your issues back at home.  It's not good to leave a problem.  Running away from it will only cause more problems."  Kyuhyun nodded slowly before sipping more coffee.  Yes, maybe I do need to see him again.  But I don't want to.  If fate really wants us to meet again, then we will meet.  But until then...  Kyuhyun closed his eyes and savored the scent of coffee in the air.

The next few years happened with little incident.  Kyuhyun finished his studies, and became an intern at a local hospital in Los Angeles.  His talent was quickly recognized, and he was promptly promoted to be a full time doctor.  His medical skill was comparable to veteran doctors.  Soon, after another few years, he rose to a position of head doctor, leading a hospital board.  He met with internationally renowned doctors often to discuss future medical innovations.

He had almost succeeeded in forgetting what he left behind.  He began keeping contact with his parents again.  He was glad his parents were understanding of his lack of communication.  They both said they were never worried and that they were just glad he was successful in the States.  When Kyu mentioned visiting them sometime, the both sternly said not to worry about them, and that they would be fine.  Thankfully for Kyuhyun, Siwon was never mentioned.  He had no idea where his college love had gone, and where he was now.  He was out of his life.  Or so he had hoped.

One day, as Kyuhyun was reading over some reports, he heard a knock at his office door.  His secretary, Yoona walked in.

"What is it?"

"Pardon my intrusion, Dr. Cho, but you have a guest."

"Oh?  Who is it?"  Yoona turned and called his guest in.  Kyuhyun could only gasp as he saw who walked in.

"Dr. Cho, please meet Dr. Choi, one of Korea's renowned doctors."