Changmin stood right in front of the mirror in his room, eyeing in details at how he looked right now. Feeling satisfied with his appearance, he finally walked out from his room. In the middle way to the outside, Changmin could see that Yunho was currently watching a drama at their living room. Being a good maknae he was, Changmin decided to approach Yunho so that his hyung wouldn’t panic if he couldn’t find him anywhere.

“Hyung,” called Changmin, tapping the older’s shoulder lightly. Feeling Changmin’s existence around him, Yunho turned his attention slightly towards Changmin and raised one of his eyebrows. “I’m not going to eat lunch at home. You don’t have to wait for me, okay?”

“Are you going out? With whom? Where will you go to?” asked Yunho.

“Kyu invited me to have a lunch at the usual ramen shop,” informed Changmin.

“Oh. Okay, Min. Take care,” Yunho said with a smile, as he has felt satisfied with Changmin’s answer. “Will you come home for a dinner later? So that I know how much portions I should buy.”

“Probably. I don’t know yet, but I’ll make sure to inform you as soon as I know,” replied Changmin.

“Sure. Be careful, okay?” replied Yunho again.

Along the way towards the ramen shop, Changmin took a long and deep breath for several times. He couldn’t help to not feel nostalgic over everything. Changmin remembered that the last time he was at this country, the relationship between him and the other three has been too bad to be repaired. He remembered how awkward those times were, when they had no choice but did some television programs in that kind situation. Even the MCs were seemingly too afraid to approach him.

Changmin chuckled bitterly, thinking that he was such a fool to suddenly remember all of those.

It has been years since the lawsuit issue suddenly arose to the public; which meant, it has been years too since the last time Changmin talked with the other three. Even though it was hard to accept, he had to admit that he regretted it a lot by now. He realized too late that everything wasn’t the other three’s fault. It was just something unavoidable for all of them. But unfortunately, when he wanted to say sorry towards those three, they have changed their phone numbers. Because he didn’t know how to contact the others and fix everything into its place, Changmin was crying his heart out at the time; even to the point making Yunho deadly worried over him.

Changmin sighed deeply once more time, as he was looking at the bright sky above. Even after years, he always wondered on how the others- how his ex-lover doing right now. Sometimes he wanted to run away from the company; only to ask them whether they were alright or not, whether they were happy or not, or whether they missed him and Yunho or not. But in the end, Changmin was too cowardly to do any of those things that have been lingering inside his mind for a long time.

Changmin cursed in silence upon the overflowing memories that suddenly gathered inside his mind, as the tears suddenly rolled down on his cheeks just like that. He honestly didn’t like the idea of coming to Japan, since it was too painful to remember those hard work that they’ve done together; all the bad and the good happenings. However, what could he do? What the company has said as an order, Changmin had no choice to follow it.

“This is so stupid,” muttered Changmin towards himself.

Changmin stared at the ramen shop’s sign for a moment. He remembered that this particular ramen shop was one of those that he often came with his ­ex-lover; that he didn’t want to mention. He has suggested other ramen shop that he knew as delicious as this one to Kyuhyun. But weirdly, the older (by days) immediately refused those ramen shops and insisted to just eat there. After Changmin has finally gathered all his courage together, he quickly got into the ramen shop; didn’t want to make Kyuhyun mad just because he was late for some minutes.

“Welcome. How many people are you- ...Oh!” An old lady, which Changmin recognized as the owner, greeted him and stopped in the middle way almost instantly. From how her reaction was, it seemed that she still remembered Changmin even after everything. “Changmin-san, right? It’s been long.”

Changmin bowed towards the older right away, showing his respect at her. “I’m sorry for not coming over these times,” he said with a business smile. “It’s been too hectic lately and I didn’t have enough free times to come to Japan. I’m sorry, Oba-san.”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to be sorry,” replied the old lady with a soft laughter.

“Actually, I have an appointment with my friend,” Changmin explained, wondering whether Kyuhyun has arrived at the ramen shop or not. “Have you seen him, by any chance? He’s a Korean singer too, so probably you have seen him on television. His name is-”

“Oh. You meant that young and handsome boy?” the old lady immediately said with a bright smile, before guiding Changmin to follow her right away. “He has arrived around one and half hour ago. Yet no matter how I asked him to just order something first, he just smiled and said that he’s going to wait for his friend. So it’s you whom he’s been waiting for, Changmin-san.”

‘Damn. I’m so dead,’ thought Changmin immediately, even though he was smiling on the outside.

Changmin quickly took his phone off from the pocket so that he could check the time, thinking that he must be way too late already; to the point that Kyuhyun would have been extremely mad at him. However, as he realized that he wasn’t that late- just ten minutes late from the appointment time according to his phone, Changmin suddenly couldn’t understand on what was going on. It was so not Kyuhyun to come way too early before the appointment time. Besides, Kyuhyun would have called him numerous times already if he has arrived there.

“Please get in,” said the old lady; opened the slide door towards one of the private blocks.

Changmin soon has forgotten already on how to breathe properly, as he could see more clearly that the person who has been waiting for him wasn’t Kyuhyun at all. He didn’t even realize when the old lady has closed the door behind him to give both of them as much privacy as they needed. But as he was finally regaining his sane minds back, Changmin quickly turned around in order to leave the man and the room. He wasn’t ready for something like this.

“Wait. Don’t go, Changmin,” said the man out of blue, making Changmin stopped his shaking hands from opening the door right at the time.

Changmin gulped down nervously; wanted to run from the place and get back to the reality. He was completely sure that this wasn’t the reality. Maybe he was dreaming, or drunk, or something. That man wouldn’t be here right in front of him, with a smile that has never changed since the last time Changmin could remember. Hesitant at first, Changmin finally turned around to fact the other man; though he was still hoping that he would see the angry Kyuhyun there instead.

But unfortunately for Changmin, the man was still there. “Please,” added him.

“I- I just- have an appointment with Kyuhyun. I don’t have anything to do with- with you,” Changmin said, stuttering with his own words. “I think she- must be making a mistake here. I should have asked her more clearly, where Kyuhyun is.”

“No need,” the man replied