From Me To You

It was one peaceful Sunday; Sungyeol was still soundly asleep on his bed. The sun rays made their way through his bedroom window, striking his face as they tried to wake him up. The bright light poked at his eyes and Sungyeol hid under his comfy blanket, refusing to abandon his beauty sleep. Slowly he groaned and asked the younger.

“Myung, what time is it?”

Silence engulfed the room; only the clock’s ticking could be heard. Waiting for an answer that would never come, Sungyeol reached his hand out to his side, but surprisingly, no one was there. The spot beside him was empty.

He poked his head from under the blanket scanning the room. His boyfriend wasn’t in the room.

“Myung???”

Sungyeol walked out from his bedroom and into the kitchen only to find his most favorite drink in the world, a freshly brewed and iced Americano, along with a note.

Hyung, I’m going to supermarket with Woohyun Hyung.

Sorry for not waking you up >o< you looked really tired so I didn’t want to disturb your sleep.

I’ll be back home soon. Wait for me.

Love you ^3^ Myungsoo

“Pfft, this kid really.. He could have just woken me up,” he complained, although with an obvious smile painted on his face. “Then what shall I do to entertain myself alone? Hmmm ahh I’ll check the blog then.” Sungyeol opened his laptop and sat at the kitchen chair.

Sungyeol was an active blogger and quite famous, if you ask. Most of his posts consisted of sceneries or pictures that were taken by Myungsoo. Sometimes he posted random stuff too, like foods, fashion, or small diaries.

Apart from being a blogger, Sungyeol was also a student at a university in Seoul. When he wasn’t studying, he spent his time running a small coffee shop together with his cute boyfriend, Myungsoo, who was still a senior high school student. Their relationship had been going on for three years and they had received strong support from their parents, although it wasn’t like that at first. That was a complete other story.

Both of them came from well families that were neither rich nor poor. When Sungyeol enrolled into the university, he decided to move out from his parents and buy a small apartment. He wanted to be an independent guy that didn’t have to rely on his parents’ money. So he opened a small coffee shop with the help from his friends. Being a student and running a business at the same time wasn’t an easy task, but Sungyeol managed to do both well.

Meanwhile, Myungsoo met Sungyeol when he was still in the first grade. They’d been through many ups and downs throughout their relationship. But like some people say, if two people are fated to be together, no matter what happens, they will always return to each other.

Since Myungsoo was still a high school student, Sungyeol didn’t let him work, not even in his coffee shop. He wanted Myungsoo to focus on his studies and enjoy his teenage years while they still existed.

But the true reason was because Sungyeol felt responsible for the younger. He asked Myungsoo to be his boyfriend when he was just fifteen years old. He made Myungsoo go through so many hardships at such a young age, one of the most difficult times occurring when he got in a car accident. Just a few months ago Myungsoo decided to move in with him. Sungyeol had promised to Myungsoo’s parents that he would take care of the younger well. That’s why he’d do anything to protect him, to make the one he loved happy, even if it’s the last thing he could do.

“Okay let’s see, I didn’t post anything for one week but I still got many visitors. Should I post something today?” Sungyeol tapped his fingers on his chin.

He looked around the house and his gaze stopped at the photo frames on the cabinet. A wide smile slowly spread upon his face. Yes, he knew what he would post on his blog. The sound of tapping fingers on the keyboard rapidly filled the room. His focus was completely on the laptop screen.

∞

Two boys were strolling around the supermarket, with Myungsoo pushing the trolley and Woohyun following him from behind. They had been walking here and there from one rack to another rack but the trolley was still empty. Some of the employees had already cast them weird looks because they had not picked up anything to buy. Thirty minutes had passed since they entered the supermarket and started their empty shopping.

“Myungsoo-yah, what exactly do you want to buy? We have been walking for a while with an empty trolley. Don’t you see the people staring at us strangely?”

Myungsoo sighed, “Actually I don’t know what I want to buy, Hyung.”

“Yah! Last night you told me that you have decided the menus and now you tell me that you don’t know what to buy. Aish, seriously this kid.”

The younger just looked down, pouting.

“You’re lucky that Sunggyu Hyung didn’t join us or you would have been dead by now. Now let me see the menus.”

Woohyun took the paper from Myungsoo and hurriedly scanned it. After several minutes passed, he looked at the raven-haired boy in front of him.

“I’m not sure with this, Myungsoo. These are dishes that I’ve never taught you before.”

“But I have seen it on TV and I can browse the internet.”

“Learning it from the TV or internet is completely different from learning by practicing it yourself. You’ve never practice before with these dishes. You’re still a beginner and I’m pretty sure you’ll make a mess on the first try,” Woohyun lectured the boy.

“I promise I won’t Hyung. Just help me choose the right ingredients. Please…”

He knew that Myungsoo was stubborn and that changing his mind was nearly impossible, so Woohyun decided to trust that everything would be alright.

“Fine, follow me.” Myungsoo tailed him from behind happily.

These past few weeks Sungyeol had been extremely busy with his coffee shop, which he began tending to more often after finishing his important exams. He barely got enough sleep, because after the coffee shop closed he still submerged himself into countless piles of books and papers. He couldn’t even find enough time to spend with Myungsoo.

The good thing was that Myungsoo was not a whiny, annoying and materialistic boyfriend. He understood that Sungyeol needed to work for their living, while he himself also needed to fulfill his responsibility as a university student. The older had been such a good boyfriend to him these past three years. Sungyeol had always put Myungsoo’s needs before his own needs; absolutely everything related to Myungsoo was his top priority. And Myungsoo was thankful to have a boyfriend like Sungyeol who loved him so much.

Today he planned to celebrate the end of Sungyeol’s exams by cooking for him. Myungsoo thought he had never done much for the elder; he couldn’t work, so cooking was the only thing that he could come up with. The boy had learned some simple dishes from Woohyun, but today he wished to challenge himself with dishes that he had never learned before.

After completing their shopping, Woohyun drove Myungsoo back to the apartment, but they stayed inside the car and waited. Myungsoo pulled out his phone from his pocket and typed a message.

To: Dongwoo Hyung

Hyung, I just got back from the supermarket.

Now you can call Sungyeol Hyung >_<

∞

A ringtone sound disturbed the peacefulness in the room. Sungyeol who had just finished showering, got out from the bathroom with a towel hanging loosely around his waist. As he glanced at his device for the caller’s identity, Dongwoo’s name appeared on the screen. Just as he picked it up, Dongwoo immediately bombarded him with words after words like a train.

“Sungyeol!!!!!! Are you busy right now? I bet you’re not since it’s Sunday today; you’re probably being a lazy like Sunggyu Hyung, which reminds me that he just fought with Woohyun!! Woohyun is at my home right now at the moment. Guess their fight was quite big this time because he just keeps crying and crying and I have no idea how to comfort him or make him stop sobbing. Now if you don’t mind I insist you come here quickly, the sooner the better. You know I’m not that good with this kind of stuff. We’ll solve his problem together and after that we can have a movie marathon as a part of healing his broken heart. Just the three of us like usual. Don’t bring Myungsoo!! I remind you that this is just Woohyun, you and me. Now get your up and come here. I’m waiting for you, okay?”

And after the quick-long conversation, or rather Dongwoo’s non-stop mumbling, he hung up. Sungyeol stood there staring at his phone, trying to absorb everything he just heard, because Dongwoo spoke really fast, almost like LTE rap.

“Sunggyu Hyung and Woohyun fought? And now he is at Dongwoo’s house? I thought he’s out with Myungsoo.”

Nonetheless he dressed up quickly and took the car key with him.

∞

Some minutes passed as Woohyun and Myungsoo finally saw Sungyeol leave the apartment with his car. Then they quickly brought all of the grocery bags into the apartment. Myungsoo opened the door and let the older transport all of it to the kitchen.

“Huff.. Okay everything is done. But Myungsoo I’m still unsure about you cooking something that I never taught you. Should I stay here to help you?”

“It’s okay, I’m sure I can do it. At least I got the basics, right, Hyung? I want to do it all by myself. It’s for Sungyeol Hyung after all,” Myungsoo smiled shyly.

“Fine, if you say so. If you encounter a problem or anything, just call me, okay? I’m going then.” Woohyun patted his shoulder and left Myungsoo alone in the apartment.

Myungsoo checked all the ingredients, just in case he forgot to buy some things. Then he took the tablet, placed it on the kitchen counter, and browsed the internet.

“Which one do I have to do first? Appetizer, main course, or dessert?”

And with that Myungsoo started his cooking

∞

During the trip, Sungyeol was still trying to understand the whole situation. Dongwoo’s voice just sounded forced rather than panicked. It’s like he memorized a script. Sensing that something really odd was happening, Sungyeol decided to call Woohyun first. The phone beeped for a few minutes, but the other line didn’t pick it up. He dialed it again several times and the result was the same; Woohyun didn’t answer his phone.

In no time Sungyeol arrived at Dongwoo’s house, he pulled over and walked up to the door. Knocking on the door, he waited but no answer; no one opened the door.

“Dongwoo Hyung, are you home? Woohyun? Hello! Is anybody home?” Sungyeol shouted loudly.

Feeling tired, he sat on the front porch. This time he dialed Dongwoo’s number, yet it’s another waste of time. Dongwoo seemed like he wasn’t going to answer his call either.

“What’s with everyone not answering me?”

“Boil the pasta on hot water, done. What else? Ahh I didn’t prepare the sauce yet.” Myungsoo closed the pan with the still-boiling pasta.

He took out the meat from the fridge and stared at it for a moment. “How do I chop this thing?”

First he put the meat on the chop board and then held it with the left hand as the right one held the knife. The boy began to slowly slice the meat. Nothing happened; the meat was still there, whole, undamaged, and in perfect condition.

He stared at the knife and back to the meat.

On the second try, he sliced it again with more force than before. But it seemed like the fortune goddess was not on his side today. Myungsoo screamed when the knife sliced the side of his finger. However, the meat was still there, whole, undamaged, and in perfect condition.

“Aaarggh, what is wrong with this damn meat?? Is this real meat?? Ahh forget it!! I’ll just use the pasta sauce that I bought. I hate you, Mr. Meat.”

He glared at the innocent bulk of meat with piercing eyes, hoping that laser beams would shoot from his eyes like Superman and destroy the slob of protein. He decided to leave it there to find first aid. Myungsoo sighed after applying the bandages, the clock on the wall revealed that he had been in the kitchen for 30 minutes. The worst part was that he had made no progress, since nothing was going according to his plans.

Suddenly, realization hit him when he remembered that the boiling pasta was still heating. Running as fast as he could, Myungsoo opened the lid and wasted all the water until no more left. Being a careless man, Myungsoo’s hand accidentally slipped in contact with the hot water.

“Ahhh!!! Hot!! Hot!! Hot!!” He jumped around the kitchen while fanning his hand to erase the pain.

Myungsoo wrapped a wet towel around his hand before checking the pasta; it was really the worst. The structure of the pasta became very soggy. No one would eat pasta like that.

“This is a big failure. Why can’t I do it right?” He was mad at himself for being so stupid. Regret formed in his heart; he should have just listened to Woohyun.

After regaining his motivated mindset again, Myungsoo decided to continue with his plan. At least he could finish the dessert even if he couldn’t make the other dishes.

As he prepared the utensils to make the cake, he passed by the meat that was left on the chop board. Instantly, an idea flashed through his mind.

“If I can’t slice you then I will roast you.”

∞

Sungyeol had enough with waiting for Dongwoo who was God knows where. The elder couldn’t even be reached by phone. So Sungyeol walked back to his car and drove back home.

This day was really weird for him, with the way Dongwoo acted, and the fact that Myungsoo had gone to supermarket. Usually they would go together for their monthly shopping.

Having a bad feeling, Sungyeol decided to go home quickly just in case his feeling was right. The Starbucks sign could be seen not far away. The desire to get caffeine increased as he got closer and closer to the café. After cogitating, he chose to get one cup. Yes, just order it quickly then return home.

He parked his car and walked to the café. Before he got in someone called his name.

“Sungyeol!”

He turned to see Sunggyu waving at him with a happy face.

“Gyu Hyung, what are you doing here?”

“I’m waiting for Woohyun, he is inside Starbucks ordering drinks.”

Sungyeol examined the interior of the café and immediately, he was able to spot Woohyun among the long queue.

“I thought you two were.. Ehh, fighting?”

“Fighting? No, why would we? We were fine since yesterday; nothing happened. He just picked me up from home after accompanying Myungsoo to supermarket.”

“But Dongwoo Hyung said.. Wait- so you two didn’t fight?”

“No, we did not.”

Sungyeol stayed silent as he dove into deep thought. Dongwoo was lying to him, that was for sure. But he couldn’t figure out the reason why.

“Hyung, you said Woohyun accompanied Myungsoo to supermarket. Did Myungsoo talk about anything other than the supermarket?”

“Well if I’m remembering it right, I believe I heard something about cooking and your name,” Sunggyu put his hand on his chin and tried to remember everything that he heard from Woohyun’s conversation on the phone with Myungsoo last night.

“Maybe Myungsoo wants to cook for you or something along those lines?”

Something clicked in Sungyeol’s head; everything was finally clear. That’s why Myungsoo suddenly went with Woohyun and not him. And Dongwoo probably was part of this too. The only thing that was still stuck on his mind was the fact that Myungsoo never cooked before. The bad feeling returned again.

“Okay thank you Gyu Hyung. I’ll go first, see you tomorrow.”

Sungyeol got inside the car and raced down the streets to arrive at home as soon as possible.

“Hyung~~ here’s your coffee and bagel,” Woohyun chirped happily to Sunggyu. The long queue inside the Starbucks really tired him.

Instead of taking the coffee and bagel from Woohyun, Sunggyu sent him a judging look. The younger stopped in his tracks as he sensed that something was off.

“Would you mind telling me what was happening among you, Myungsoo and Dongwoo? Because I just met Sungyeol a few minutes ago and he told me that he heard from Dongwoo that we were fighting. Is this related with your conversation with Myungsoo last night?”

Woohyun could only gulp and curse Dongwoo for not coming up with better excuses.

∞

While waiting for the cake to be done, Myungsoo roasted the meat. He was lively again because the cake and the meat seemed to work well. He really hoped for them to come out tasty and delicious.

“How do we know if the meat is well done?” He observed the meat, and even poked it several times with fork.

The beep sound from the oven signaled that the cake was done. Myungsoo put on the mitten, took the cake out out from oven, and put it on the counter. The delicious aroma spread around the kitchen.

“Okay, Woohyun Hyung said when we bake a cake, we need to let it rest for a couple of minutes after removing it from the oven.”

He prepared the frosting and fruits for the decoration. Cutting fruits proved to be a lot easier than cutting the meat. Melon, Strawberry, Grape, Cherry, Sunkist; Myungsoo didn’t know which fruit was best compatible with the cake so he ended up buying many more fruits than he intended to.

The raven boy cut it carefully trying hard not to add more wounds on his fingers and hands. He didn’t pay any attention to his surroundings and was therefore oblivious to the meat behind him that started to burn. Myungsoo hummed to some song while applying more cream to the cake. Layered it with frosting, he decorated it with fruits and made sure not to forget adding the words “Myung ♥ Yeol”.

He smiled, satisfied and proud of himself for successfully baking a cake. The air around the kitchen was hotter than usual and it suddenly became harder to breathe. Myungsoo felt like his back was on fire; it was really hot.

He turned around wide-eyed, shocked.

The meat was on fire—for real.

Sungyeol walked down the lobby and straight into the lift. Many questions still played in his mind. He needed to know the reason why. Maybe the younger just wanted to surprise him, yeah that’s it. He knew Myungsoo well; the said boy always loved surprises.

Just when he turned to the right, Sungyeol could smell something burning. But the fire alarm didn’t ring. There was no chaos at all. As he approached their apartment, the odor grew stronger and stronger. Sungyeol rushed quickly to the door, opened it, and was instantly greeted with smoke filling the air.

“Myungsoo? Myungsoo?!!”

The younger didn’t know what to do in this situation. The meat was on fire, as flames sprouted endless and engulfed the food in the pan.

Pretty soon, Myungsoo fell into a panicked and almost unconscious state. He needed Sungyeol right now.

“Myungsoo, what are you doing??! Get out from there!”

And his wish came true. Myungsoo saw the older at the kitchen entrance coughing and swaying his arms to get rid of the smoke.

Water. The first thing came into Myungsoo’s mind. He took whatever he saw at the counter that looked like water. But Myungsoo didn’t notice it, the bottle in his hand, was not water but vinegar. He sprayed it to the burning meat only to make it worst. The fire only intensified due to the vinegar. It burst into small explosions that caused Myungsoo to scream out of fear.

Myungsoo was really scared at that moment. He backed away from the stove as far as he could but unconsciously, he bumped into the cake at the counter, sending the pastry straight down to the floor.

Fortunately, Sungyeol entered the kitchen fast enough. The older brought a fire extinguisher with him, and immediately, he sprayed the foam right to heart of the fire until nothing was left from it.

Done with it, the tall boy put the heavy tube down on the floor. He turned to Myungsoo and looked at the younger with an unreadable expression. His gaze was strong and hard. Myungsoo fidgeted under the stare; he felt uncomfortable and afraid.

Silence filled the air; it was really tense and the mess around them didn’t relieve either of the two. The kitchen looked like it was bombed by terrorists. Dirty utensils accompanied by untouched soggy pasta in the sink, flour covering the counter and floor, with some on Myungsoo’s face too. Not to mention the meat and the pan that were previously on fired were now hidden under the foam.

“Hyung?”

Myungsoo called out his name slowly, but all Sungyeol did was stand there like a statute.

“I’m sorry for the mess that I made. I will clean up everything so don’t worry.”

Sungyeol tried to control his anger and not lash out at the younger. But what Myungsoo did was unbelievably dangerous.

“Hyung, please say something.. anything.. just don’t stay silent like this..”

Myungsoo’s voice was shaking; he was on the verge of tears.

“What do you want me to say, Myungsoo? Tell me!” finally Sungyeol spoke. However his tone was not pleasant. “Do you understand what you just did?”

“I- I will clean it up.. I- I..”

“I’m not talking about that and I don’t care about the mess! I am talking about the fact that you just put your life in danger. Do you understand??!” Sungyeol’s voice rose each time he spoke. “What if the stove exploded and the apartment burned? What if something happened to you?!!”

Myungsoo cringed from the loud voice coming from Sungyeol. His whole body was shaking. This was the first time he had seen Sungyeol get this angry.

“I told you many times before to not do anything that endangers your life. I never let you cook or work because I’m afraid something like this might happen to you. Remember what happened when you got in a car accident?? I’m afraid to lose you Myungsoo!!”

Sungyeol breathed heavily due to the sudden lash out. He was angry at Myungsoo because the younger almost burned the apartment and because he just threatened his life and put it at risk. He was also angry at himself because he couldn’t do much to protect Myungsoo.

Tears rolled down the raven boy’s cheeks, dripping onto his trembling hands.

“I- I’m really sorry Hyung. P-please forgive me. I don’t- I don’t mean for this to- to happen. I- I just want to cook fo- for you.”

Sungyeol looked at the boy in front of him, who was bawling his eyes out in apology. Pain tugged at his heart; he didn’t mean to make the younger cry. He sighed and slowly pulled Myungsoo into his embrace.

“Ssstt.. It’s alright.. It’s alright.. Hyung is sorry, okay?” Sungyeol rubbed gentle circles on Myungsoo’s back while the latter continued crying. “Sorry for yelling at you; I just couldn’t control my anger.”

He rested his head on top Myungsoo’s and hugged him even tighter. They stayed like that for a while, until Myungsoo calmed down inside the older’s embrace. The shirt Sungyeol was wearing was drenched in the younger’s tears. Myungsoo rested his head in Sungyeol’s chest, enjoying the warmth that emerged from the hug, while he played with the hem of the older’s shirt.

“Would you mind telling me why suddenly you wanted to cook for me?” Sungyeol looked down at Myungsoo. The younger pouted and hid his face in the wide chest, mumbling incoherent things.

“Yah, how can I hear you if you talk like that?”

“Just because.. Well I felt bad because you’ve always been very good to me. I feel like that spoiled rich brat. You’ve always been there for me, you’ve always done everything for me, you’ve always given me what I want. But I never do that much for you, how can I repay you for everything you have done for me?”

Sungyeol chuckled hearing the boy’s answer. Now he understood.

He released the hug and Myungsoo whined from the lack of warmth. Sungyeol cupped his face, wiping the trace of tears from the younger’s puffy red eyes.

“Myungsoo, listen to what I say. I love you. Unconditionally. I did everything for you because I want you to be happy. I want you to be happy with me and I never asked you to repay it.”

“You chose to live with me so it became my responsibility to protect you, to make you feel safe and happy. I want our parents to see that we can live happily together, that I’m a responsible man. And you must know that I never see you as a burden. I choose to love you for now and forever.”

“Hyung, since when did you become this greasy? You should stop hanging out with those three.” Myungsoo laughed.

“Aish this kid, I’m speaking seriously here and you’re laughing at me?”

Sungyeol pinched Myungsoo on the cheek which resulted in a shriek from the younger. Myungsoo rubbed his red cheek, as he pouted and glared at the tall boy.

“You pinch really strong, Hyung,” Myungsoo whined.

“Aigoo, my poor baby.”

“Don’t ‘baby’ me. Hufft..” Myungsoo walked away.

“My baby is mad at me. Forgive Hyung, please..” Sungyeol followed him.

He quickly grabbed Myungsoo and back-hugged him. Sungyeol whispered softly to the younger.

“Just stay by my side and keep loving me. That is enough for me.”

Myungsoo blushed at the older’s words. “Are you proposing to me, Hyung?”

“Who said I want to marry you?”

“But you just said I am your responsibility.”

“I did but.. I didn’t say anything about marrying you. Do you want to marry me that badly, huh?” Sungyeol smirked.

“Hyung!!!!”

∞

Someone else was waiting at home, calling Myungsoo or Sungyeol repeatedly.

“Why doesn’t anyone answer my call? This is weird. Sungyeol hasn’t shown up yet. I even went to buy him an Americano.”

Dongwoo pouted and looked at the now cold Americano.

Hikaru's Note: Sorry, it took longer than I expected but I hope you enjoy reading ^^ on another note it's kinda sad that OGS World Tour is finish, no more Myungsoo kissing the bear or Myungsoo being clingy to Sungyeol T_T but I'm exciting for their next year comeback! XD See you on another stories ^^)/♥