Wednesday - Two weeks after

When Youngwoon was a block away from school he spotted Jongwoon walking down the street, coming from an intersection he himself still had to cross. Youngwoon looked at the older boy’s back for a moment and wondered what exactly his hyung kept listening to every damn moment he was alone.

Taking to his advantage that the older boy had not noticed him, he swiftly moved closer and in a fast movement stole one of the earplugs effectively scaring Jongwoon, who even jumped up in fear. “What are you listening to, hyung?” Youngwoon asked as he put the earplug in his own ear, but then he didn’t need Jongwoon to answer. His senses were flooded with Sungmin’s voice and a slow piano melody.

|Are you pleased by the happiness that has found you? Do you dream the same dream as me? Do you know how much I think about you? Do you know how much I love you? It’s fine if there are many people in the rattling subway. I read and re- read the message that I had kept hidden. Before I knew it, I had memorized it |

Youngwoon listened attentively to the sad voice and once again he felt the one talking in the lyrics had an unrequited love. “Have you memorized it yet, hyung?” Youngwoon questioned. Jongwoon looked at him for a moment before he grinned. “Let’s test it.” He started to sing along with the recorded audio but after a few words he passed the other earplug to Youngwoon.

The younger boy tried to focus on Jongwoon’s voice, distantly noticing that the two voices were in perfect sync. Youngwoon noticed the way Jongwoon would smile at certain lines, as if they had truly reflected what had happened between him and Kyuhyun. The song didn’t sound unrequited when Youngwoon pulled out the earplugs and only listened to his friend’s voice.

“Ok. You memorized it, smartass.” Youngwoon said when Jongwoon finished singing, handing back his friend's belongings. Jongwoon grinned happily. “Sungmin, nailed this song, I tell you. I can tell that he truly noticed my feelings for Kyuhyun before Kyuhyun ever did.” the older boy commented.

Youngwoon frowned. “I thought he was not close to anyone.” he countered but Jongwoon continued to grin. “Well it happens that Sungmin somehow helped me. I kept asking him how Kyuhyun was doing in class or if he was having problems with anything. I think he even noticed my feelings before I did because from time to time he would show up and tell me that Kyuhyun was sad somewhere or that he needed help with a subject. Sungmin is a nice kid, Youngwoon. But sometimes I think he is just a little bit too nice.”

Youngwoon stared  ahead pondering those questions, he wanted to know more about the younger male, but he didn’t know how to ask or who to ask. The moment the two friends got in class they were surprised to see Heechul and Jungsoo talking with their notebooks open. Quickly Jongwoon joined the two because he overheard that they were talking about biology, Heechul was explaining something about the subject and the private lesson was very welcome because it was extremely rare.

None of them noticed how Youngwoon sneakily picked up Jongwoon’s phone that the older boy had left over his table, none of them noticed that he searched for Sungmin’s song and sent it to his own phone via bluetooth. Youngwoon picked up his own earplugs then and put the song to play. He closed his eyes focusing all his attention on those lyrics and Sungmin’s voice.

Something in it felt familiar, as if he had heard it before and he thought that he probably did, Sungmin had probably sang it when he was around and Youngwoon had forgotten because he was probably singing it to Jongwoon and Kyuhyun.

Later at lunch break, Youngwoon felt surprised as once again Sungmin had sat with them, the younger kept talking with Jungsoo about the project, but Youngwoon actually noticed something else, Kyuhyun had a small food container with him, even though he was eating the food provided by the canteen he also had an extra portion that seemed to be bought from home.

“What’s that, Kyu?” Youngwoon asked as the younger opened the container with a happy grin. “This is how much Sungmin hyung loves me.” Kyuhyun replied showing off a set of deliciously looking egg rolls. “From time to time he pampers me, you know?” the younger added popping one of them in his mouth and then at the taste. Jongwoon pouted as he picked up one of the egg rolls from the food container and ate. “Min-ah, I followed your recipe why I can’t make them this deliciously?” the older boy complained.

Sungmin looked shortly at Jongwoon with a grin. “Timing, Jongwoon hyung. Eggs are all about timing, you can’t let them overcook.”

Hearing the talk and seeing his friends eating, Youngwoon once again felt strange, his mind tried to look back, searching for other events like that, only to fail. Something felt wrong in all that. Without any warning he reached his chopstick to get one of the egg rolls, only to have Kyuhyun block his access. “Mine!” he grunted. Youngwoon stared at the younger agape for a second before he thundered. “Jongwoon ate one!”

Kyuhyun shrugged eating another one. “Jongwoon is also mine, so he can.” the younger stated causing his boyfriend to blush. Heechul rolled his eyes at the scene and sighed exasperatedly, already expecting the little chopstick fight that would follow. Indeed Youngwoon didn’t accept that answer and tried the best he could to steal one of them. The two friends were so serious about the battle that the chopsticks were used as mini wooden swords at one point.

“Yah, Kids! Enough with all the scene!” Heechul thundered getting Youngwoon to sit properly and allowing Kyuhyun to mockingly eat the last egg roll. Youngwoon sulked at the selfishness of the younger, only to feel goosebumps all over when Sungmin chuckled and easily like that took an egg roll from his own lunch and put it over Youngwoon’s share. “Here, Youngwoon-ssi, you can have mine.” the younger said with a small smile before he tried to focus back on his talk with Jungsoo.

Youngwoon was about to thank the younger when Seoyeon, that had been laughing at all the exchange, pouted and begged one from Sungmin as well. The younger boy laughed at her pleading expression before he reached his last egg roll to her. “Because I love you this much, noona.” the younger said softly and Youngwoon felt cold all over as Seoyeon squealed happily.

There came again the feeling that something was not in it’s right place. In wonder, Youngwoon took a bite of the egg roll and when the taste registered a sense of nostalgia came to him. He was sure he had eaten that before, he couldn’t remember but he was sure. Youngwoon sneaked a glance at the younger while he chewed on his chopsticks. Sungmin was not looking at him, he was seriously talking with Jungsoo and his serious instance made something flutter inside Youngwoon.

“It’s absolutely delicious!” Seoyeon spoke beside him happily. “I can’t believe it took this long for me to taste your cooking, Sungmin! Please marry me!” she added and Youngwoon felt once again himself growing cold. Sungmin looked at her surprised, but then he smiled softly and replied. “Sorry, noona you know I am gay.” he told her in a  light joking tone, but, strangely, that had actually, once again, made something flutter inside Youngwoon.

Who exactly was Lee Sungmin? He couldn’t just be Kyuhyun’s best friend, somehow Youngwoon knew he was something more, something he couldn’t put his fingers on. That feeling got him somehow annoyed, so he silently finished his food in a hurry and without further ado stood up claiming he was going to the library to get some books he needed to read.

Youngwoon didn’t see the sad face Sungmin made, the younger was still trying to get used with being close to that extent, but whenever Youngwoon seemed annoyed he still felt bad. There had been no comment on his cooking, the fact that h

Youngwoon didn’t say his egg roll was the best in all the world left him bitter.

Moments later Jungsoo stood up saying that he was going to take Sungmin’s request to the board, in an urgent meeting at that lunch break, and then left. Sungmin had been about to call out to his love birds friends when Heechul called. “Sungmin, can I talk with you?”

There was a moment of hesitation on Sungmin’s part, but then he nodded. They left the canteen together. “Can we go to the rooftop? I want to talk with you where no-one can hear us.” the older boy’s request once again took Sungmin by surprise, but he nodded and led the way. Once they were locked outside, Heechul put a hand on Sungmin’s shoulder. “Sungmin, I am sorry I had been so harsh… I am sorry I hurt you this badly.” Heechul started off.

The previous week, whenever Heechul had tried to lure Sungmin to somewhere they could talk, it had failed miserably, they had not had a decent conversation since that fateful Saturday. “I am worried about you. Do you… hate me now?” Heechul added.

Sungmin took in a deep breath, he exhaled slowly before he smiled a small sad smile at Heechul. “I don’t hate you, hyung.” Sungmin answered softly. “I was shocked… and I knew that if you had tried to tell me by any different means, I wouldn’t have believed you, but knowing I had been left out on that important information had been a really bad hit.” Sungmin confessed walking to the spot he had previously sat with Youngwoon during their lovely times together. Heechul followed and sat beside him.

“Sungmin.” Heechul had been about to apologize again, but the younger interrupted. “I don’t need explanations or apologies, hyung. I know why you did it, I had been in your position before.” Sungmin mumbled while staring at his hands. “I had a lot of time to think, hyung, I had a lot of time to see things from your perspective.” Sungmin looked at Heechul with a serious face. “When my parents were fighting I tried to protect my younger brother from them, from the shouts and all the arguing. I tried to make him believe nothing was going on, that our parents were doing fine, I kept him from the truth and when our parents finally divorced he couldn’t understand. He blamed me for lying to him, he even told me he hated me.”

Heechul frowned at all that information. “Your parents are divorced?” he questioned feeling lost. Sungmin nodded he believed he had no right of feeling betrayed because he had kept things from his friends as well. “Only Kyuhyun knows this. I’ve been living alone since high school started. All this time I have been lying to you, trying to make everybody believe I have a perfect life. So I am no better. You were trying to protect me somehow and I got it, hyung. We all should have been more honest.”

There was not a second before Heechul pulled Sungmin into a hug. “Since you’ve been through so much , things should become brighter next, right? I promise you, Sungmin, good things will come your way, and we’ll live more honestly from now on. I will truly protect you this time, Sungmin.”

Sungmin smiled and nodded. “At least Youngwoon hyung will finally remember me.” the younger piped but the smile Heechul offered back was sad. “Youngwoon is annoying, Sungmin. I don’t know what you see in him.” the younger chuckled at the comment.

For the rest of the break Sungmin told Heechul about his family’s circumstances in details, while Heechul still kept secrets from Sungmin, at least he hoped those secrets, this time around, could bring happiness to the younger. Youngwoon wouldn’t remember Sungmin if everything went as they planned, but at least Sungmin would have his love. One cannot have everything they want right?

Meanwhile, instead of picking up books Youngwoon had actually sat down at a far corner of the library as he kept on listening to Sungmin’s song. Somehow that song seemed to be talking with him, seemed to be telling him that Sungmin was supposed to be something more. While fumbling with his phone Youngwoon saw that he had a strange contact. Someone he called fox, when he clicked on the name, the info came up and he almost dropped the phone at seeing the photo that showed up. He had Sungmin’s phone number, registered with a nickname? He clicked on it to send a message, just to see if there had been any interaction, but there was none, there was also no record of him ever calling that number. What was it doing there?

Youngwoon felt sick. When the bell rang he went back to his class in a blank state, he didn’t know what to make of all the strange feelings coursing through him and all the strange little connections. He didn’t speak with anyone for the rest of the classes claiming he had a headache. He still went back to the library after class though, because he and Kyuhyun had agreed on a tutoring session. He didn’t speak much, and neither did Kyuhyun, but when they were getting ready to go back home Kyuhyun tried to fit a book he had just taken in his backpack, only to find that he had ‘forgotten’ to return Sungmin’s food container.

“Oh crap.” He showed the item to Youngwoon. “I need to give this back to Sungmin hyung or I might not get egg rolls tomorrow.” Youngwoon frowned at the comment. “You’re going to his house just to give that back?” he questioned with a quite dumb tone, but Kyuhyun made a face. “Hyung, Sungmin hyung has club activities today, if we hurry we might still find him.” and after saying that he shoved the book in his backpack and grabbed Youngwoon’s hand, pulling him all the way to the basketball court.

Youngwoon felt slightly startled when they got there, the team was still training and Sungmin was aside fighting with another guy, Youngwoon didn’t fail to notice the black belts. “Seriously?” Youngwoon asked once again feeling odd. “Seriously.” Kyuhyun replied and without any shame shouted for Sungmin, who startled received a hit he was not prepared to receive.

“Ops.” Kyuhyun mumbled as he watched Hangeng help Sungmin back on his feet, they talked for a moment before Sungmin ran in their direction, gracefully jumping over the railing to get to them. At the sight something seemed to jump inside Youngwoon, he felt like he had seen that before, an image came to him like a deja vu, blurred like an old dream.

“Thank you, Kyuhyun, my chest will be bruised tomorrow, you have no idea how hard Hangeng hyung hits.” Sungmin complained as a matter of asking what the younger was doing there and with Youngwoon no less. Kyuhyun showed of the container and the two exchanged some few more words before the coach thundered for Sungmin to get his back on the court.

Sungmin picked up the food container and waved with it to his friend and to Youngwoon. Carefully he swung back over the railing and got back to Hangeng, dropping the item on the floor nearby as his things were in the changing room. “You really broke up with him?” Hangeng questioned with a small worried expression, he still had a hard time to believe in the talk. Sungmin shrugged. “Championship, hyung. I need to put you in shape.” he younger mused but right after Hangeng hit him. “You wish, kid.”

That had been a hell of an emotional day.