The rain had always fascinated Kyuhyun. From childhood it was his dream to get drenched to the bone, splashing water everywhere, drinking in the exhilarating experience and never once stopping to rest. As a kid he had believed that he’d achieve true bliss when he would get out into the rain and play like there’s no tomorrow. And now there he was waddling through the rain soaked streets without the protection of an umbrella feeling miserable instead of happy, thinking about nothing but Siwon and Jessica. He wondered if Siwon would have a change of heart and go back to her. He wondered if he’d ever get to see him again at the rink while he practised. He wondered if he’ll ever get close to him as earlier and that he’ll ever get kissed by him. The wonderful experience left Kyuhyun wanting more of Siwon all for himself. He had gotten unnaturally possessive but then he suddenly questioned himself if he even had the right to claim Siwon as his. He didn’t know if the latter had felt the same way.

Neither he nor Siwon had taken any credible step towards pouring their heart out to one another. Neither knew what the other felt and so far no hints or clues were given that would substantiate the blossoming of a possibly beautiful romantic relationship. And Kyuhyun wondered if he’ll forever be condemned to a sad and unfulfilling life and it pained him more when he realised that all had been snatched away when things were only starting to look up. He knew he was being paranoid but he couldn’t help it.

He walked absentmindedly through the relentlessly pouring rain while his mind was in turmoil, having conflicting ideologies about Siwon’s meeting with Jessica. He had even started making conspiracy theories as a part of him thought of Siwon and Jessica’s reunion while another part of him was in denial.

He reached his house and found it locked. Hankyung must have gone to his academy again. Opening his bag, he fumbled for the house keys. Opening the door, he let himself in and closed and locked the door from the inside. He dragged his unwilling legs towards his bedroom and sank into his soft bed. His wet uniform clothes were clinging onto his thin figure like a second skin and he didn’t bother changing into his casuals. Thomas came running towards him and settled comfortably beside him on the bed wagging his tail and barking cutely at him. Now normally the mere sight of his pet would chase away his blues but he felt cold inside out and being alone in this huge house right now just made matters worse. For the first time in his life, Kyuhyun felt alone, utterly and miserably alone and for the first time in a long time, he longed for the warmth of his mother. He wanted to lie on her lap and listen to her narrating bed time stories.

Feeling a nagging headache brewing, he closed his tired eyes hoping that everything that had happened earlier was nothing but a horrible nightmare and that when he woke up everything would go back to being normal again.

Meanwhile Hankyung was just returning from an important meeting with the faculties of his academy and his beloved niece Victoria had accompanied him back home.

“How about starting your practise with Kyuhyun from today?” Hankyung asked as he swerved his car at a left turn.

“What? Are you serious?” Victoria asked surprised, her eye brows raised till they hid behind her brunette bangs.

“You should know by now when your uncle is serious and when he isn’t, my dear!” he said with a sense of pride.

“Well in that case, you should know that your niece is always ready for some action!” Victoria laughed out loud.

“This rain sure isn’t letting up, is it?” Hankyung wondered and Victoria simply shrugged her shoulders. They reached home and as they were walking towards the front door, Victoria asked “I am craving for your sea food special platter. Will you make them for me uncle?” her hand snaking up and clutching her beloved uncle’s arm as her face beheld the most adorable “kicked puppy” face yet. Hankyung felt his strict fatherly instincts crumbling just by looking at her.

“*sigh* It feels like I am dealing with two Kyuhyuns at the moment. Although Kyuhyun’s a lot cuter than you!” He then chuckled and Victoria’s mouth formed a surprised “O”. She rudely pushed him off before advancing further towards the door ahead of him muttering “Utter favouritism I tell you!” and attempted to open it only to helplessly turn back towards her uncle seconds later.

“Ha ha….Move away my dear” he said before unlocking the door and letting her in first. Just then he heard a car pulling up in front of the house. After Victoria made her way inside, Hankyung turned around and saw a familiar face emerging from inside the car.

What is Dr. Hyun Soo doing here all of a sudden?

He smiled confusedly at him before greeting him politely.

“Good day Mr.Hankyung. Is Kyuhyun home?” he asked.

“I ..ugh..dont ….kn….oh..look! I guess he is!” He said as he spotted a pair of sneakers at the door step.

“Its just that I had just arrived from a meeting at the academy and….” He began explaining when the doctor handed him an envelope.

“Please take a look at these reports. They’re Kyuhyun’s blood work. Although you have to wait a couple days more for the culture reports to be out. Only then can we say something concrete about his condition.” Hankyung felt as though he had been splashed by a douche of cold water and he visibly paled as soon as he heard the doctor say this.

“What …what are you saying? What condition?” he stuttered.

“He hasn’t told you anything?” the doctor stared at bewildered.

What anything? What has he been hiding from me?

“Oh where are my manners? Please come in doctor.”

Just as Hankyung stepped in with Dr.Hyun Soo , he heard Thomas’ barks all the way from upstairs. It felt strange because normally Thomas wouldn’t bark so loudly without any good enough reason. After all, the pet was very well raised by Kyuhyun. Just as he thought of checking it out for himself, Thomas came rushing downstairs all the while barking hysterically. Hankyung was worried and then he noticed Kyuhyun’s bag lying on the couch and it appeared wet, almost too wet. That was when he started to put two and two together and the next thing he did was rush upstairs if what he thought was right. And he was damn right indeed. Victoria having sensed Hankyung’s urgency decided to follow him as well. He stormed into the room and found Kyuhyun lying on his bed. A few seconds later Dr.Hyun Soo joined them as well.

Kyuhyun’s eyes were shut tight and his lips were trembling. Hankyung gingerly removed the comforter that was covering him and called out “Kyu? Kyuhyun-ah? Come on! Open your eyes!”

Despite his constant pleas, Kyuhyun’s eyelids were shut tight as if they had been stuck together with glue. He brought his hands to feel Kyuhyun only to pull it back with a gasp. Kyuhyun was freezing almost icy to the touch and he also noticed that his uniform was wet and impossibly cold.

“Oh dear God! He is freezing!” Hankyung exclaimed as the doctor stepped up to the front to examine him.

“If we don’t do something quick, he’ll die of Hypothermia! His lips had already started turning blue!” the doctor exclaimed.

“Victoria quick! Grab some blankets from the cupboard right now!” before Hankyung could even finish yelling out his frustrated orders, Victoria dashed towards one of the cupboards and hauled a pile of them towards the trembling figure on the bed. While she placed them at the foot of the bed, Hankyung told her to wait outside for a while as they were about to change Kyuhyun’s wet clothes and so she obeyed. After about five minutes or so, the door to Kyuhyun’s room opened and as she stepped in she saw Kyuhyun comfortably wrapped snug in layers of blankets. Despite being wrapped in those layers, she noticed that Kyuhyun still was trembling and was muttering something that was difficult to comprehend. It appeared as though he was delirious from being cold for a long period of time.

“I’ll go and bring some hot water from the kitchen.” She said quietly before heading downstairs.

Hankyung didn’t know where he had gone wrong. He had always managed to look after his protégé and took care of him as if he was his own blood. But what had happened right now? And why had it had to happen especially during the most crucial stage of his life? He was feeling sorry for Kyuhyun all while being blinded by rage that his student didn’t tell him all along that he had been suffering from a relapse. From Dr.Hyun Soo he found out that Kyuhyun had approached him earlier for a brief consultation session in the evening. He could only nod absentmindedly to whatever the doctor was telling him. From what he could comprehend from a cornucopia of medically technical terms that the doctor was telling him, Kyuhyun was sick and that he needed serious medical attention as soon as possible.

By the time the doctor was finished narrating him about the risks involved, Victoria had arrived with a bowl of hot water and some dry towels. She set them gently on the bed side table and soaked the towel with the hot water and squeezed the excess water out before placing it on Kyuhyun’s forehead. The doctor prescribed some medicines that could counteract the effects of the infection for the time being and told him that he would call Hankyung to come and collect Kyuhyun’s blood culture reports as soon as they were out.

“Please don’t hesitate to call me if anything untoward happens even during wee hours. I’ll always have my phone with me. Until then take care.” The doctor said and left in his car.

He came upstairs again and stared at Kyuhyun who was now being warmed up quite efficiently by Victoria. At some corner of his mind, he found the warm gesture adorable. Victoria beheld the most concerned look as she wiped his forehead with utmost care and continued to do so until she could visibly see the colour returning slowly to his body. Kyuhyun’s creased forehead smoothed out and he slipped into a peaceful slumber almost immediately.

“I am going to pull his name out from the competition!” he said as Victoria snapped her head in his direction with hanging open.

~~~~~~

Siwon was more than relieved that his visit has indeed turned out alright and that he was worrying for no reason at all. He felt somewhat pleased that he no longer shared any hard feelings with Jessica and was contended that he had become friends with her during her most trying times. But right now, all that he cared about was his confession that was long overdue. And he promised himself that at last everything would be worth it. The wait, the constant running around in circles and most importantly, Kyuhyun. Everything would be worth it and it would be even better if his feelings were reciprocated. As he rode the bus back home, he reminisced all the wonderful moments he had shared with the lovely skater and started analysing it for hints if any that were subtly placed before he could notice it. He thought about how Kyuhyun had reacted the first time he had called him and his performance beautiful. He thought about how Kyuhyun had blushed when he complimented him during the summer festival. And the moment when they had almost kissed each other not once but twice was firmly etched in his mind that would be a constant reminder of his undying love that had turned into reverence and devotion towards the younger. From what he could he deduct, he was almost certain that Kyuhyun could also be in love with him.

He chuckled absentmindedly at the thought of his love turning into devotion. Of course, he was devoted to him and only him. The bus came to a stop and Siwon got down once he realised that he had reached his destination. The rain was now reduced to a feathery drizzle and he quickly placed his umbrella inside his office bag and began walking in the direction of his house. He passed by Kyuhyun’s house along the way and didn’t know why he was suddenly overtaken by an ominous feeling. He tried hard to brush it away but whatever it was it remained there nagging him, disturbing him and distracting him.

Must be the pre-confession jitters! My god! Donghae was right! I have turned into a teenager!

Guess love does that to everyone!

And then he began walking towards his home all the while thinking if Kyuhyun would make it to the rink for his practise tonight!

~~~~~~

Donghae was returning home from his usual photo-shoot sessions. On the way he passed by a gift shop that had many beautiful ceramic dolls in display. He was sure that he wasn’t into cute stuff like this but something made him slow his car down a bit until he decided to get out of it and buy a certain something that had evidently caught his attention.

He gently opened the door of the shop and let himself in and went straight towards the object in display. It was a beautiful piece of porcelain figurine that had a boy whose legs were prepped up like that of a ballerina’s. The highlight was that he was wearing skates and had a serene expression on his face. Donghae was immediately reminded of Kyuhyun and how absolutely striking he had looked while he skated. He decided that he just had to have this to remind him of Kyuhyun and later settled to the idea of gifting this to him in person instead.

He thought that he didn’t need the assistance of a figurine to remind him of Kyuhyun as all that he could think about was Kyuhyun and absolutely nothing else. He bought it and went back to his car. As he revved up his engine, he suddenly thought of paying his crush an impromptu visit hoping to give this small gift as well in the process. And so he made a U-turn and drove in the direction of Kyuhyun’s house.

He parked his car in front of his house and got out. He loitered around the premises of his house and kept staring up at the balcony hoping to see Kyuhyun gracing his presence.

Meanwhile what Hankyung had said literally shook Victoria inside out.

“What are you saying? Do you even know what you’re saying uncle?” Victoria asked back.

“Of course! No mentor in the right frame of mind would even dream about endangering the life of his student like this. His life is more important.” He said with utter anguish as he sank back in his chair opposite the bed.

Victoria stood up and approached Hankyung. She kneeled in front of him with a worried expression and began “But to him the Olympics matters more than his life. And you’re going to rip him off his dream so callously! Do you think he’d even forgive you if that happened?”

“So what do you suggest I do? Just go ahead and see him choking for air in front of my own eyes during his routine? I don’t think so!” he turned his head away from his niece refusing to meet her eyes, afraid of succumbing to her cajoling words.

“Uncle don’t you think Kyuhyun knows the consequences of giving his all despite being so sick? Don’t you get it! He is scared of letting his life slip away before achieving his dream!” her voice reduced to a mere whisper.

“Don’t you get it that I have to answer to his parents once they get to know of his condition? Whether he recovers or not, they’ll sever all ties that he’s got with the sport including me!” This time however, Victoria didn’t retaliate and let him continue.

“That’s why I need to make sure that he doesn’t take up skating until he recovers. And my decision is final!” he said and got up leaving Victoria staring up at him.

“Se..seonsangnim?” he heard a weak voice calling out. As if on cue, Hankyung immediately rushed towards him and sat at his bed side.

“Kyuhyun-ah? How…how are you feeling now?” his voice sounded strained and tired. Kyuhyun’s eyes cracked open and he continued to roll his eyes until he was able to adjust to his surroundings. It was as if his entire body had been tied down with a noose and even a movement as subtle as moving his finger seemed to be painful and tiresome.

“Please….let..let me take part….I…I…beg you” and he started to desperately request his mentor to have a change of heart.

“No can do! This is your punishment for not telling me anything about your relapse. What were you thinking?” Hankyung tried hard not to yell but his voice ended up a tad bit louder and he saw Kyuhyun cringing in response.

“Please I beg you. My dream is all that I have right now. I don’t know if I’ll be around for the next Olympics. I need to ….” As he said that he was interrupted by his mentor.

“Don’t you dare Cho Kyuhyun!” he reprimanded.

“NO! I will take part in it no matter what and neither my illness nor you can stop me!” Kyuhyun bit back a sob and turned around facing the wall. Hankyung was taken aback by his student’s sudden outburst. Despite being tired he had seen a flicker in the other’s eyes that seemed to resonate a profound determination that he had never seen in him. He silently resigned to a thoughtful stupor as he contemplated on Kyuhyun’s progress so far. There was no doubt that his star pupil had indeed improved by leaps and bounds in a short span of time and the amount of dedication that he had shown was no joke either. He had always wished for the best for Kyuhyun. He had always yearned to see a happy smile gracing the latter’s lips and realised that the latter would achieve the pinnacle of happiness only if he had lived his dream that he had sought after since childhood . He mentally cursed himself for he was now thinking of re-evaluating his stance. Just then he heard a yell. And it came from the balcony.

~~~~~~

Victoria couldn’t stand her uncle’s stubbornness but also couldn’t deny that she found some logic in his decision. She strode towards the balcony and stared at all the pretty stars that were starting to peek out from behind the clouds. Just then she looked down and a handsome face greeted her with a smile.

“Who..who the hell are you?” she yelled although she didn’t mean to sound that loud.

“Me? Well..I am Lee Donghae and I am a photographer. Nice to meet you Ms….” He trailed off.

“I don’t need to introduce myself to creepy strangers like you stalking me! Now get lost!” she sounded rude.

“What? Stalking you? You must be mistaken Ms. You see I have come here to….” As Donghae started explaining he heard a voice coming from the inside and soon he got to know that it was Hankyung.

“Oh! Donghae-ssi! Whats the matter?” he asked.

“Hello there! I came here to see Kyuhyun. Is he around? I need to give him something.” he asked.

“You know this stalker?” Victoria asked in a surprised tone.

“For the last time, I am not a stalker!” she heard him yell from below.

“His name is Lee Donghae and well….I’ll explain it later!” Hankyung replied as Victoria stepped back inside.

“I apologise for my niece’s behaviour. Just wait right there and I’ll be down in a minute” Hankyung said and went downstairs.

He opened the door and let Donghae in. He saw him holding onto a box that seemed to be gift wrapped.

“What is all this Donghae-ssi?” he asked.

“Oh just a little something as a “get-well-soon” gift for Kyuhyun. You see…well…he didn’t quite seem alright to me the last time I saw him so I thought why not bring him a gift to lift his spirits up. And what better way to do that than gifting him a figurine that would remind him of what he’s best at doing!” he heard the photographer say with an earnest expression. Hankyung was left speechless.

“He has genuine talent Hankyung-ssi and I would give up anything for the day when I’ll get to personally take his pictures as he stands on that first place podium as the gold medal hangs around his neck.” He said as he handed him the box.

“Can I see him?” Donghae requested.

“Huh! Um…Actually Kyuhyun is resting upstairs. So..” he replied.

“Oh that’s alright! I’ll come to check up on him some other time. Please give this to him once he wakes up!” Donghae said before stepping outside again.

“I’ll make sure he gets it. Good day Donghae-ssi.” Hankyung said as he saw Donghae driving off.

He trudged upstairs all the while thinking of what Donghae had said to him as he handed him this gift. And that’s when he realised that not only him but people around have already started to recognise Kyuhyun’s talent and want him to win no matter what. First it was Siwon gifting him the skates and now Donghae has started urging and encouraging him. Hankyung then came to the conclusion that even if he was the one who had shown Kyuhyun the path to success, he had no right to guide him towards a dead end.

I’ll make sure he wins this!

Finally finished with this long update. I hope I am not boring you guys out. Please let me know what you all thought of this update by commenting. Thank you!