Though Kyungsoo enjoys the hustle and bustle of the busy coffee shop he works in, there's something strangely comforting about working quietly alone.

It is currently 10:30 in the evening - the coffee shop had served its last customer about an hour ago - and Kyungsoo is the lucky one chosen to close shop tonight. The soothing sound of the rain provides a lovely background music to Kyungsoo who busies himself wiping table counters in the semi darkness.

Kyungsoo knows he shouldn't have done it - but he looks up to the windows the moment the clapping sound of thunder and a bright lightning hits. A man with a hood jacket was staring stoically towards Kyungsoo's way.

The said boy lets out a very shrill, manly scream until he realizes that he knows the man standing outside the window.

Fear gives way to anger the more he stares at the silhouette of Kim Jongin - his ex who just up and left six months ago without any word.

Despite his trepidation, Kyungsoo runs to the door to let the drenched man in.

Here they are, face to face for the first time since Jongin has left Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo looks at him expectantly.

“Hi-llo” Jongin sputters out.

Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow.

“I meant to say hello but the hi came out first and um--” Jongin begins, grinning sheepishly as he scratches the back of his head.

It’s funny how some things remain the same - including Jongin’s adorable awkwardness that makes Kyungsoo want to run up to the said man and coo at him.

But Kyunsoo refrains.

“What are you doing here?” Kyungsoo spits out venomously. He gives himself an imaginary pat in the back. He’s always imagined how it would be like meeting Jongin again and each scenario had him running into the younger man’s arms and crying his eyes out. Kyungsoo’s proud that he’s able to stop himself from doing all that. He’d like to think he’s done some growing up within the last six months.

“I wanted to talk about what happened to us six months ago.”

 

Kyungsoo scoffs. “Do we even have something to discuss? I woke up from our bed and found you gone with all your things. I’m pretty sure I got the message loud and clear back then, Jongin.”

 

“Yeah but hyung--”

 

The toll of working the whole day and sudden rush of emotions puts Kyungsoo at his boiling point and he explodes.

 

“There is nothing to discuss, Jongin!” he repeats himself, screaming to block out whatever it is that Jongin has to say.

 

Jongin freezes. In all the years they’ve known each other, Kyungsoo has never raised his voice at him like this.

 

Kyungsoo finds it difficult to breathe and he curses at himself internally as he finds his eyes welling up with tears. “I loved you, Jongin. With everything I had.”

 

He grabs the nearest umbrella behind the counter. “But you broke my heart. I have nothing more to say to you. Please leave.”

 

The crushed look on the younger’s face just makes Kyungsoo want to sob even more. He wants to hug Jongin and comfort him and tell him that everything’s going to be okay - but deep down, Kyungsoo knows he’d be lying.

 

“I’ll go,” Jongin croaks out. “I’ll go, hyung. I’m sorry for barging in like this.”

 

With that, he walks out of the shop.

 

Kyungsoo waits until Jongin is out of sight before he breaks down completely.

 

*~*~*~*~

 

A few days later, Kyungsoo finds himself sitting on his bed, fully awake at 8am. He curses because it’s his day off and who the hell wakes up this early on their day off?

 

“Stupid Jongin,” Kyungsoo mutters. Ever since that night he met that stupid man, he’s been having a lot of troubles sleeping, resulting in him waking up at random times throughout the night and him being awake at the ungodly hour of 8am. (Because really, on a normal Saturday he’d still be snoring until his best friend Baekhyun wakes him up at 1 in the afternoon).

 

Of course it doesn’t help that every single thing in his stupid apartment reminds him of Jongin - especially since he’s now sitting on the same bed that Jongin left him on that one morning.

 

Kyungsoo sighs, rubbing his hands all over his face before reaching for a tattered journal on his bedside table.

 

“Book of Kai” it reads.

 

He remembers the first time Baekhyun and Jongdae discovers the journal.

 

“Really, Soo. REEALLY?” Jongdae says as he flips through the book, shaking his head as Kyungsoo pouts adorably.

 

“You’re worse than those crazy fangirls,” Baekhyun adds.

 

“That means nothing coming from a crazy SNSD fanboy,” Kyungsoo points out.

 

The memory makes Kyungsoo laugh as he opens the book and sighs at the pictures of Jongin.

 

Two days after Jongin had left, Kyungsoo finds the acceptance letter from SM Entertainment.

 

Kyungsoo isn’t stupid and realizes at that moment exactly why Jongin left - to follow his dream as a professional dancer.

 

But that’s what made Jongin’s departure hurt even more. Kyungsoo had wanted to believe that he had a part in Jongin’s dream. He had wanted to believe that being a professional dancer wasn’t just Jongin’s dream - it was Kyungsoo’s too.

 

So to know that Jongin didn’t tell him any of this - that he auditioned for SM, that he got accepted to train in the US - that’s what hurt Kyungsoo more than Jongin leaving. Because had he told Kyungsoo that he was going to the US, he would have gotten Kyungsoo’s full support.

 

Kyungsoo knows he’s being foolish but despite what Jongin had put him through, he loved him and continues to do so.

 

This is how ‘The Book of Kai’ came to be. It’s pages and pages of newspaper articles, printouts, pictures of an up and coming SM Rookie. To the rest of the world, he was the y and charismatic Kim Kai. To Kyungsoo, he was the derpy and awkward Kim Jongin - and to this day, he continues to be his number one fan.

 

Kyungsoo flips through the journal, reveling at the pictures of Jongin he has gathered through the months.

 

“Yah, Kyungsoo, you are amazing,” he mutters to himself, grinning as he looks at the latest HD picture of Kai he adds to his collection. He glances at the article that comes with the picture that reads ‘SM Rookie Kai from the US - finally debuting in Korea’.

 

*DING DONG!*

 

The loud ringing of Kyungsoo’s doorbell knocks him out of his reverie.

 

He groans, slipping the book back to its hiding spot and walks out of his bedroom to the front door. He opens it without checking.

 

“HI HYUNG!” Jongin’s loud, cheerful voice greets him.

 

Kyungsoo’s eyes widens in panic and he slams the door shut.

 

“Yah, hyung, open the door,” Jongin whines as Kyungsoo leans his back towards the front door.

 

What the hell is Jongin doing at his front door?

 

What the hell is going on?

 

“Hyung! hyung! Hyung let me in, it’s cold out here!” Jongin whines.

 

Kyungsoo winces because WHY OH WHY IS JONGIN SO ADORABLE?

 

“Hyung, it’s cold and Monggu is right here with me--”

 

WAIT A SEC. Baby Monggu is here?

 

Kyungsoo turns around and opens the door. He doesn’t even spare Jongin a glance as he crouches down to the miniature poodle.

 

“Monggu. My baby!” he practically screeches. The said dog recognizes Kyungsoo almost immediately and wastes no time jumping onto Kyungsoo’s arms and the said man on his face, tail wagging happily.

 

“Why can’t you welcome me the same way you do to Monggu?” Jongin complains.

 

“I think you’ve forgotten that you LEFT me while Monggu was just a casualty in this hot mess,” Kyungsoo says flatly, glaring up at Jongin. “What are you doing here anyway?”

 

Jongin holds up a plastic bag from what Kyungsoo recognizes as the grocery store down the road. “I’m here to make you breakfast!”

 

Now how can Kyungsoo say no to that?

 

*~*~*~*~*~

 

Having Jongin back into his apartment, making him his famous chocolate chip pancakes and eggs for breakfast, sends Kyungsoo in a fit of frenzy.

 

At one point, it brings back warm, fuzzy memories for Kyungsoo.

 

However, it’s almost like he has let a stranger through his house to cook for him.

 

It is true, he muses as he tries to discreetly stare at Jongin, pretending to read the morning paper across the said man.

 

There are still many aspects of Jongin that stayed the same - the adorable giggling that he now hears reverberating through the kitchen, the way he chides Monggu who has made himself comfortable in the kitchen floor (just like he always used to), the way he comfortably navigates through the kitchen.  

 

There are also many aspects of Jongin that he can tell has changed. The way he moves is now slightly more calculated, his face showing signs of the hardship he’s probably gone through while training, and.....oh, he is now taking off his sweater, his shirt riding up a bit to reveal a bit of his well sculpted six pack. Kyungsoo grips the newspaper tighter, biting his lower lip to prevent himself from squealing.

 

“Breakfast is served, hyung!” Jongin says cheerfully, placing Kyungsoo’s plate in front of him and taking his usual spot on the dining table.

 

Kyungsoo then folds the paper neatly and wordlessly gets up, getting Monggu’s bowl from it’s usual spot and filling it with water - something he hasn’t done in over 6 months but still feels natural.

 

He sighs, placing the bowl in front of the poodle and then sits down at his spot in the dining table.

 

Breakfast, to say the least, is very, very awkward.

 

The two of them eat in silence, looking at each other once in a while and then looking elsewhere.

 

Kyungsoo is practically done with eating when Jongin clears his throat. “Hyung--”

 

“Don’t ruin this lovely meal by being an idiot,” Kyungsoo says, placing his utensils down to look at Jongin.

“I’ll make it quick,” Jongin says, reaching out across the table to take Kyungsoo’s hands with his.

 

Kyungsoo looks at him, confused.

 

“Kyungsoo hyung,” he begins “I love you, hyung. I never stopped loving you and I will always love you. I know I broke your heart. But I promise you, I will do everything I can in my power to put it back together.”

 

They stare at each other silently.

 

*SHE’S MY BABYYYY….SAENGHAYAN GEU SON KKEUTE….*

 

Kyungsoo’s ringtone interrupts the two and Kyungsoo practically scrambles to find and answer the phone.

 

He rolls his eyes as he sees Jongin’s face light up at the realization that his ringtone is the song for Kai’s SM Rookies teaser.

 

“Kyungsoo-yah!” a light and airy voice that Jongin’s never heard before fills the room through Kyungsoo’s phone.

 

“Joonie hyung!” Kyungsoo squeals, smiling brightly.

 

Jongin frowns.

 

“Kyungsoo, I hope you didn’t forget that we have a lunch date this afternoon. I was hoping that  I could pick you up in a few minutes. Do you think you’ll be ready soon?”

 

Kyungsoo looks at the time and then at Jongin. “Yeah, sure hyung. Pick me up in 10 minutes?”

 

Jongin feels like he’s been stabbed.

 

“Okay. See you in a bit, hyung. Bye!” Kyungsoo says, hanging up the phone. He then looks at Jongin.

 

“Who is Joonie hyung?” Jongin demands. Kyungsoo rolls his eyes.

 

“What’s it to you?”

 

“Hyung! Don’t be like this!”

 

Kyungsoo sighs. “Anyways, thanks for the breakfast, Jongin but I have to get going soon.”
 

He walks towards the front door and holds it open.

 

Jongin sighs but follows Kyungsoo’s order anyways. He knows he needs to do more than just cook breakfast to win Kyungsoo back.

 

Jongin then gets up from his spot and picks up Monggu. Before leaving the apartment, he looks at Kyungsoo and pecks him on the cheek. “Talk to you soon, Soo.”

 

Without looking back to see Kyungsoo’s reaction, he leaves.

 

Kyungsoo closes the door before sinking to the floor, clutching the cheek that Jongin had kissed. He’s blushing profusely and tries to prevent himself from squealing too loud.

 

“KYAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!”

 

He obviously fails.

 

*~*~*~*~

 

“Kim Jongin, seriously, I am this close to punching you,” Park Baekhyun growls at the man on the phone.

 

Of course this would be the natural reaction of someone who has been waken up at 2 in the morning by their ‘Catch Me if You Can’ ringtone.
 

“Who is Joonie hyung?” Jongin’s loud wailing causes Baekhyun to wince and move his phone about a mile away from his ear.

 

“Baekhyun, babe, who is that?” Chanyeol asks groggily, getting up.

 

“It’s your idiot of a best friend,” Baekhyun says loudly, so that even Jongin can hear through the phone.

 

“Is Chanyeol hyung there with you?” Jongin asks. “Chanyeollie hyung!”

 

“Nini!” Chanyeol laughs. “How’s your mission going?”

 

Baekhyun shakes his head, putting Jongin on speaker.

 

“Horrible, hyung. There’s a guy that ruined our breakfast date. Some guy named Joonie hyung…”

 

Chanyeol and Baekhyun looked at each other.

 

“Jongin,” Baekhyun reasons out like he’s talking to a 5 year old. “Joonie hyung--”

 

“LALALA I don’t want to hear it,” Jongin says.

 

“But you just asked me who he is--”

 

“I changed my mind, hyung. I don’t want to know--”

 

“Kim Jongin. Man up, you little piece of--”

 

“HYUNG, LANGUAGE!”

 

“KIM JONGIN I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL MURDER YOU. DON’T WORRY ABOUT KIM JOONMYEON AND JUST WORRY ABOUT GETTING KYUNGSOO BACK. IF I HAVE TO HEAR ONE MORE WORD FROM KYUNGSOO ABOUT YOU I WILL SERIOUSLY COMBUST!”

 

There is dead silence on the other end of the line and Chanyeol just looks at Baekhyun in shock.

 

“Babe...let me take it from here,” Chanyeol says, patting Baekhyun in the back as he grabs the phone from his husband.

 

“...Kyungsoo hyung talks about me?” Jongin asks.

 

“All the time, Jongin,” Chanyeol affirms. “You have to realize that the guy never stopped loving you. But you also have to realize that you’ve hurt him. You should have seen him the first month you’ve left, Jongin. It was heartbreaking.”

 

“I know, hyung. I know,” Jongin says, frustrated. “I know I had messed up. I just don’t know what else I can do at this point...and now there’s Joonmyeon to add on to the mix and I just…”

 

“Just know you’re heading the right direction, Jongin,” Chanyeol says gently. “Just keep going.”

 

*~*~*~*~

 

So Jongin keeps trying.

 

For the next few weeks he does everything - send Kyungsoo flowers, visit him at the coffee shop once in a while, send him cute little notes and messages - however Kyungsoo just isn’t budging.

 

The flowers he sends get thrown away.

 

The visits become less and less as Kyungsoo somehow always finds new ways to avoid him

 

The cute little notes and messages he writes gets ripped up.

 

“Maybe it’s time for me to give up, Monggu,” Jongin says as he lies on the floor. Monngu whines, placing his head on Jongin’s stomach.

 

“Maybe you should get off the floor instead of whining,” a female voice says.

 

“Not now, mom,” Jongin counters. “I just want to lie here until I die..or maybe until Soo hyung notices me. But I think I may end up dying first before he notices me again.”

 

“Come here, my over dramatic son,” his mom says. “I thought that maybe pulling up some old pictures of you and Kyungsoo might help cheer you up.”

 

Jongin practically crawls his way onto the couch as his mother starts pulling out photo albums.

 

“This is from when you guys started hanging out in kindergarten, remember that?” she says, showing Jongin a photo.

 

In the picture is a six year old Kyungsoo wailing as a five year old Jongin places a kiss on his cheek.

 

Jongin laughs, remembering that day.

 

For the next few minutes, Jongin just flips through pictures and pictures of him and Kyungsoo together.

 

He shakes his head. How could he have let go of one of the most amazing person he’s ever known in his life?

 

An idea then pops into his head and he smiles.

 

“Umma, do you mind if I take some of these pictures with me?”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“Hyung that was such an amazing dinner,” Kyungsoo gushes as he steps off the elevator with Joonmyeon.

 

“Not a problem, Kyungsoo. Taking you out to dinner is the least that I can do with all the help you’ve given me,” Joonmyeon says.

 

“Hyung, would you like to come in for some coffee?”

 

Joonmyeon nods. “Sure, Soo. You know I can’t refuse a good cup of coffee.”

 

The both grin, making their way to Kyungsoo’s apartment.

 

As soon as they open the door, their jaws drop as they see a huge mess.

 

Tons of deflated balloons lay on the floor as a few blown up ones are already up in the ceiling.

 

There are cardboard papers and streamers lay messily on the floor.

 

Kyungsoo and Joonmyeon walk in silently.

 

“Soo, what happened?”

 

“Hyung, I have no idea--” Kyungsoo begins but stops as he looks at the picture frames now surrounding his living room and dining room area.

 

His breath gets caught in his throat as he recognizes the pictures of him and Jongin through the years -- from their kindergarten photo to their college graduation -- all of them with Jongin kissing Kyungsoo on the cheek or with Kyungsoo kissing Jongin on his.

 

“Monngu come back here. Please just for one hour I want you to wear this cute little sweater--” Jongin practically wails as he runs back to the living room to find Kyungsoo standing in the middle of what is supposed to be his surprise.

 

“Kyungsoo hyung! Baekhyun told me you weren’t going to be back for another hour and --”

 

Jongin then looks to find someone standing beside Kyungsoo. His eyebrows furrow.

 

“Who are you?"

 

Joonmyeon looks at Jongin and nods. “You must be Jongin. I’m Joonmyeon, Kyungsoo’s--”

 

“I don’t want to hear it. Kyungsoo is mine. Stay away from him!” Jongin practically growls, grabbing Kyungsoo by the arms.

 

“YAH! KIM JONGIN. WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING!” Kyungsoo yelps, slapping Jongin’s hands away.

 

Jongin stops and lets go of Kyungsoo, eyes b with tears. “Hyung...do you really have to treat me like this?”

 

Kyungsoo then soften up, stares at the crying man in shock and cups Jongin’s face gently with his hands. He obviously isn’t expecting Jongin to break down like this. “Nini..oh my god…”

 

“I’m just going to leave you guys alone to talk this through. Call me later, okay?” Joonmyeon says to Kyungsoo who just nods absentmindedly.

 

Jongin waits for Joonmyeon to leave before completely breaking down in front of Kyungsoo.

 

“Look hyung, I’m sorry,” Jongin says. “I know you’ve heard that a million times for the past few weeks. I know I’ve hurt you so much by leaving. I’m not sure if you knew but hyung….I went to the US to train to be a part of SM Entertainment. I’m sorry for leaving without telling you, hyung, but I had to. I had to because I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving you. So that one night that I got the courage to leave, I did it before I chickened out. Hyung...you have no idea how long I stayed at the apartment lobby, crying my eyes out the night I left. It was painful. So painful. But I knew I had to do it, not for me, but for us.”

 

By now, even Kyungsoo is crying.

 

“Every day I trained in the US, I thought of nothing but you. Every time I was about to pass out from exhaustion, I thought of how it would be like to finally be on stage with you looking at me proudly. I knew that things might be different once I got back to Korea, but I didn’t think it would be like this.”

 

“I love you, Kyungsoo. I love you so much. I told you that I’d help you put your heart back together and I still want to do that - even if it means admitting defeat and letting you live your life happily with Joonmyeon. But if I could please just get one more chance to hold you - just for another minute - I’d really appreciate it.”

 

Kyungsoo nods his head as Jongin wraps his arms around his waist. He then takes his moment to wipe the tears running down Jongin’s cheeks before looping his arms around Jongin’s neck.

 

Jongin leans down his forehead towards Kyungsoo’s and closes his eyes.

 

“Jongin,” Kyungsoo whispers. “Is it my turn to speak now?”

 

Jongin nods.

 

“I could probably be making the biggest mistake of my life….but I’ve always been stupid when it comes to you, Jongin,” Kyungsoo continues. “I love you, babe. I’ve never really stopped loving you.”

 

Kyungsoo then smiles - very widely.

 

“As for Joonmyeon...he is my cousin,” Kyungsoo says. “He and I have been busy trying to get things set up for his move to Korea with his boyfriend, Yifan. They’ve lived in China for a few years now.”

 

Jongin removes his forehead away from Kyungsoo and opens his eyes. “WHAT?”

 

Kyungsoo laughs. “Joonmyeon is my cousin.”

 

“Soo...why didn’t you tell me. Oh my god. This is the first time we’ve met. He probably thinks I’m such a weirdo and --”

 

Kyungsoo then cuts him off by kissing him.

 

Jongin kisses him back immediately but breaks it off. “I’m serious, Soo. That’s your cousin and first impressions mean everything --”

 

“Kim Jongin, I’m trying to seduce you here and it’s really disturbing me how all you can talk about is my cousin.”

 

Jongin looks at him. “Right...we’ll worry about that later.”

 

Kyungsoo nods and once again attaches his lips onto Jongin’s.

 

Jongin then proceeds to deepen the kiss, eliciting a moan from Kyungsoo who takes this moment to jump onto Jongin’s arms, bracketing Jongin’s hips with his legs.

 

Kyungsoo tilts his head, making their kiss headier as Jongin proceeds to move them to their bedroom.

 

*~*~*~

 

Later on that night, as very Kyungsoo cuddles with a very Jongin, he hears a question that he never thinks he’d ever have to answer.

 

“Baby...what is ‘The Book of Kai’?”

 

Kyungsoo turns to his boyfriend who is holding the said book in his hand.

He shrieks, trying to get the book away from Jongin.

 

THE END

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: HI EVERYONEEE!! Oh my gooood. Guess who's back writing fics? *points to self* XDD I'm so sorry this took a while to write. Someone had really bad writer's block. XDD Either way, I'm hoping you all enjoyed it! ^___^