A tap on his shoulder and he heard the distinct pitter-pattering of rain on the windshield of the car. Cho Kyuhyun woke up to scan the premises with his chocolate brown doe eyes. There was Donghae behind the steering wheel smiling down at him so lovingly like his guardian angel and Kyuhyun vehemently tried to swallow the growing lump in his throat at the kind gesture. Wordlessly Donghae reached forward to brush away the few strands of soft brown hair that fell like a curtain upon his eyes that still hung heavily from sleep.

“You know you’re a heavy sleeper Hyun!” Donghae remarked.

Shuffling forward Kyuhyun straightened himself out and found Donghae’s Mini Cooper stationed outside his house. It was 9:30 p.m and just in time for dinner. Without further ado, Donghae stepped outside into the rain carrying a transparent umbrella and held the passenger door open so Kyuhyun could be escorted into the safety of his house without getting wet. Kyuhyun’s peripheral vision was now focussed on Donghae as he led him forward. Astonishingly Kyuhyun began observing Donghae like he had never done before. It was a revelation that Donghae was undeniably handsome with his sparkling black orbs that danced with excitement every time, his black luscious mane that fell so effortlessly onto the pale attractive expanse of his forehead, the thin lips and that signature hearty laughter that evoked pure happiness and joy. With a personality such as his, he could practically get attractive guys and girls falling at his feet. But the truth was that he had chosen Kyuhyun of the lot. Why exactly? He didn’t know and neither did Donghae. Whenever he was approached with the question, he would wear a distant smile and simply say that it was meant to be and that there was no particular reason.

When said that Kyuhyun was still apprehensive of his feelings he had simply dismissed it with a nod of his head and said that it was ok if his love remained unrequited for the rest of his life. But somehow instead of bringing relief it brought more woes to Kyuhyun. He felt sort of guilty, sorry and all those unpalatable things that washed over him like waves every single time he caught Donghae staring at him with a look that screamed adoration and pure love.

“We’re here!” Donghae signalled and thus broke Kyuhyun from his reverie.

“Hyun?? Are you ok? You’re not tired are you?” he asked with concern, another trait of Donghae that made Kyuhyun miserable.

“Umm..N..No. Not at all hyung” Kyuhyun stuttered and bit the inside of his cheek not to be so obvious.

“Ok. I hope I didn’t bore you out today!” Donghae’s voice sounded hesitant.

Kyuhyun found it endearing and said “Are you kidding? I had a blast today!”

“Really? Well you were kinda moody when we’re on our way back, so I thought…” Donghae trailed off.

“Well I was just….thinking about my prelims. Yeah that’s it!” Kyuhyun managed to convince him when the truth was that all along he was disturbed about the fact that Siwon and Jessica were spending time together.

“Oh…ok. So can I…can I get a kiss?” Donghae asked sheepishly.

“Wh..what?” Kyuhyun felt his ears become unbearably hot in an instant.

“A Kiss.” He reiterated and leaned in closer. His lack of height made Donghae reach up on the tips of his toes and Kyuhyun had to place his hands on Donghae’s firm chest to prevent him from going any further. Kyuhyun had no clue from where Donghae mustered up the courage to do such a daring act in front of his house especially when he had cautiously and carefully put his words to express his wish.

“H..Hae..hyung….” Kyuhyun’s voice was meek and was contradicting his actions.

Seeing as how Donghae couldn’t be stopped, he closed his eyes for the inevitable. But the kiss never came, at least not exactly at the place where Kyuhyun had intended it to be. Instead Donghae planted his lips firmly on one of his cheeks sending a pleasantly tingling sensation all over his body. But as soon as the kiss had come the sooner it was gone and Kyuhyun’s eyes shot open in surprise to see Donghae chuckling at him.

“You should know very well that I’d never force myself on you Hyun!” Donghae said with sincerity.

“H…hyun??” Kyuhyun wondered at the new pet name Donghae had given him.

“Oh..Its just that I wanted to call you by something unique. I know your coach and perhaps your friends and parents probably called you that. So…I thought why not Hyun?? Don’t you like it?”

“I s’pose its harmless.” Kyuhyun said as Donghae beamed in response.

“Alright then. See ya tomorrow. Good night!” Donghae jumped off in the direction of his parked car.

“Wait..hyung” Kyuhyun suddenly called out and Donghae stopped in the middle getting drenched in the rain.

“Aren’t you staying for dinner?” Kyuhyun offered and Donghae bounded back inside the porch as his clothes were getting uncomfortably wet and also because he couldn’t hear properly over the noise the rain was making.

“What?” he yelled back.

“I said I want you to stay for dinner!” Kyuhyun replied.

“Sorry Hyun. I’m afraid I cant as long as Victoria is anywhere within a mile radius from me!” he said on a good note.

“But…”

“Some other time. I promise ok!” Before Kyuhyun could stop him he jumped inside in his car. When he thought Donghae would just drive off without a second glance he was surprised to see the latter lowering his window and waving at him. Then Kyuhyun found himself subconsciously waving back at him as he drove off in the distance.

Meanwhile in Busan, Siwon and Jessica found themselves seated in a sushi bar apparently since the latter had practically craved for it and Siwon had caved big time seeing her pleading eyes. He was frightened by the amount of influence she still had on him. The only difference being the change in her entire personality. Though she had become much humble and had shed off her iness and arrogance during the onslaught of her illness she still behaved very much like a small kid on a rampage. As Jessica went through the details of the menu in front of her in utmost concentration Siwon recalled the places they had been to the whole day. Needless to say that the whole day had been a blast for both of them, they had gone window-shopping, stopped by some street side shops for some knick-knacks and trinkets as memorabilia of their impromptu day-out. Siwon even had the chance to buy his mom a brand new sweater and a smart phone for his dad. He could even imagine his dad scoffing and ridiculing the necessity of the contraption in his life and him taking a lifetime to figure out how it actually worked. Nevertheless Siwon was willing to take the risk solely because he had desperately wanted to replace the dinosaur that his dad was currently flaunting.

Making up her mind, Jessica called the waiter to place hers and Siwon’s orders in absolutely fluent and crisp Japanese.

“Its been a long time since I’ve had sushi! Its hard to find any in Paris ya’know!” she stated.

“Hmm. So how was life in Paris?” Siwon asked.

“Paris is well…..difficult to put in words. I guess you could say that it’s a larger than life experience. The French are very courteous, the food is delicious, there’s a lot of places to visit but the men….they’re nothing short of womanizers.” She said the last part as though she were lost in thoughts and Siwon knew that he had unwillingly led her into an unchartered territory.

“Things..with Pierre…were magical, or so I thought. It was everything that I could wish for. But as they say one needs to be careful what they wish for.” She looked at him straight in the eyes with conviction.

“Jessica…you don’t have to..” Siwon tried to steer away from the topic fearing her discomfort but Jessica refused to stop.

“Its ok Siwon. He and I parted on a not-so-good note. There’re no hard feelings, in fact, I don’t feel a thing. Its amazing how he turned into an absolute stranger overnight. Days with him were vacuous to reminisce anything remotely good about them.” She continued.

“But I had been stupid though. I didn’t have to go and drink myself into oblivion over him of all people. It didn’t do me any good and Pierre’s living his life with his mistresses without a care of the world.”

“I guess that’s why life suddenly decided to punish me for my mistakes. I didn’t cherish the things I already had and went after something farfetched.” Her eyes met his again as though she had wanted Siwon to realise every word she had meant.

Siwon was too tongue tied to say anything. Luckily the waiter had come with their orders. The food was piping hot and looked delectable.

“Lets dig in!” She piqued.

After a hearty dinner both strolled along the bustling streets of Busan sharing stuff about their lives so far when Siwon suddenly stopped in front of a huge screen that broadcasted the highlights of the Asian Games. He was transfixed upon watching a female figure skater sliding and twirling gracefully on the ice. He visualised Kyuhyun in a global arena doing the exact same thing and winning the gold medal. He visualised Kyuhyun flaunting the medal standing tall on the first place podium revelling in the enthralling roar of the audience while he looked on in amazement. How Kyuhyun was destined for the ultimate happiness in his life! Just thinking about such exhilarating thoughts made him giddy with excitement.

“Siwon? Why’d you stop?” Jessica’s voice broke him from that train of thought.

“Oh..uh…nothing. Lets get going!” he said and managed to evade her question.

“Don’t tell me you have a crush on Kim Yuna!” she giggled.

“Pft..I most certainly don’t. Its someone else I’ve been thinking about!” he retaliated.

Witnessing the freshly blooming blush on his face, Jessica stepped back not sure of what she should feel about it. She was certain that she had fallen in love with Siwon for real this time. But Siwon had moved on and had found someone already, someone who deserved his time and affection much more than she ever did.

“Who exactly were you thinking about?” she asked cautiously as they proceeded walking.

“Its..its….” As Siwon struggled to reply Jessica’s assumptions proved to be correct.

“Your crush is a figure skater too?” she asked him.

“Um…I…ye..yes. Yes he is!” he responded.

“HE? You mean you’re a…..” Her eyes popped out in surprise and words failed her, betrayed her to finish the question she had meant to ask him as she sincerely hoped he would deny her.

“Yes. I am gay and I am in love with a college student who is a figure skater.” Siwon’s declaration had done enough damage to her system that she wondered if there was any treatment that could nurse her back from the shock that she had experienced just now. Siwon had miraculously, under the influence of some other worldly phenomenon had turned gay and there’s nothing that she could do to change it. He would never look at her the way he had all those years ago. Somehow she suddenly felt sick and she wanted to curl up on her bed and forget about everything that had happened this evening.

The rest of the walk back to her hotel was in utter silence. Neither of them wanted to talk though occasionally Siwon glanced in her direction to see if she showed any signs of disgust after coming to know of the truth.

“Jessica you’re not....mad, are you? You know after knowing….” Siwon egged on.

“Uh…um..No..Its just…I am surprised is all. I am not mad.” She said.

“Thank God. Well then I’ll see you later. Good night!” he said and turned around.

“Ya …..Good night.” She greeted back as she saw him move away, possibly away from her for good.

~~~~~~

The next day was the last day at college for Kyuhyun. After today he wouldn’t be able to see his friends until the University exams. And so as he dressed up real quick and headed downstairs he was surprised to hear a strangely familiar cackling noise that resounded from the dining area.

“Kyuhyun-ah, my baby!” Came the person with wide open arms ready to clobber him in his embrace.

“Hee…chul…hyung! Cant breathe!” he struggled to get free.

Kim Heechul was sort of his coach’s confidante and was affiliated with Hankyung’s academy. He had all sorts of connections abroad and it was with his help that his teacher’s academy started to flourish. According to Hankyung, he had the best managerial skills but was an eccentric man. His behaviour seemed as though he were gay to the bone but was straighter than an arrow. Kyuhyun had never seen such a self contradicting personality.

“Oh look at you! You’ve become so skinny! Have you been feeding him well?” he asked turning to Hankyung.

“If he had the ability to retain what he gains from eating my food all this while, he’d be the size of your ginormous self-esteem.” Hankyung mocked from the sidelines.

“So what brings you here, hyung?” Kyuhyun asked.

“Well lets just say that I wanted to pay my Babykyu a visit that’s been long overdue!” he cooed and pulled Kyuhyun onto his lap as he sat down on one of the chairs.

“But…..I thought you had gone to the States and wouldn’t be back until next month!” Kyuhyun said.

“Why don’t you tell him the reason for my visit Hankyung?” Heechul pointed at his mentor.

“Heechul hyung has agreed to be your official manager starting from today. From now on, he’ll be handling your schedules, your routines, your diet, your medicines, basically your everything except for bathing of course.” Hankyung told him.

“What about you then?” Kyuhyun asked.

“Of course I’ll be your coach. You wont get rid of me that easily Kyu!” he clucked his tongue and Kyuhyun rolled his eyes at the gesture.

“Whats with all the noise down here!? Cant I get a decent sleep anymore in this house?” Victoria sounded groggy as she joined the rest of them in the dining area.

“Well if it isn’t Queen Cleopatra in the flesh! How noble of you to have graced us with your presence, your majesty!” Heechul mocked and Kyuhyun chuckled in return.

“Who let this old man in here?” she said haughtily and reached for a glass of milk.

“Well this ‘old man’ is gonna be managing your almost non-existent and you’re gonna have to put up with it!” Heechul barked.

“Look who’s talking!” Victoria scoffed. Sensing the growing tension between the two, Kyuhyun silently slipped away and stood beside his mentor and watched as the squabble ensued.

“Let them bite each other’s heads off! At least this would keep Victoria off my tail for a while!” Hankyung sighed in relief.

“I guess I’ll get going then. I wouldn’t want to be late today!” Kyuhyun said biting into a club sandwich.

“Ok then. You take care!” Hankyung sent him off as Heechul’s and Victoria’s voices rose an octave in the background.

“SHUT UP!!!!”

~~~~~~

Kyuhyun’s friends and teachers had organised a farewell party for the current batch of final years. Each and every one of Kyuhyun’s admirers had come forward to extend their support to him not only for the prelims but also for the grand showdown at the Olympics later this year. He was touched and gladdened by the gesture.

“I’ll miss you big time!” Jonghyun had told him.

“Same here buddy!” Kyuhyun said and hugged him.

“Have you confessed yet to that Siwon guy?” he asked.

“Not yet but soon. I’ll let you know if I do.” Kyuhyun replied.

The rest of the day in college went by like a breeze and soon Kyuhyun found himself staring back at the place which gave him unconditional love and support. The University finals were a week away and the week after he’d be one step closer to his dreams. His whole body buzzed with an excitement that he couldn’t quite place. He just couldn’t wait for it.

A kind of a short and simple update this time. Not much development here guys! I’ll make up for it this week as I couldn’t update last week due to my internal exams. I wanted to continue but then I thought it would result in yet another cliff hanger. One more chapter to go before it all starts! I can almost see you all sharpening your arms and ammunition ready to strike. Especially my friend heartbabykyu!

Well anyway that’s it for this update. Stay tuned for the next one in three days. Good day to you all.