January 20^th, 2010- London

Kyuhyun scratched his head as he consulted his phone for the umpteenth time. He cursed himself in his head for relying solely on the internet for directions and not taking the time to buy a map. It was his first time in London, and to put it bluntly, he was lost. It also didn’t help that he wasn’t fluent in English, so he couldn't ask anyone for directions. 

 Aissh, I’ve been going around in circles for hours now. When will this end?! He thought as he looked around the streets to see anything familiar.

London was the last place he thought he'd visit because it's where Victoria, his ex-girlfriend, was currently staying at. She, being the professsional travel blogger that she is, loved the place and decided to say for a while. Looking around, the place he was in didn’t seem at all like the ‘cozy’ utopia Victoria had always bragged about in her letters. He couldn’t see anything special. The clouds were too darn grey for his liking and the weather seemed dreary. Plus, all the people here seemed rude and indifferent, rather far from the hospitable people back at Seoul.

Tired from almost 3 hours of walking, he decided to sit down on a bench and ponder on what to do next. Surely, he couldn’t ask Victoria to pick him up now, seeing as he broke up with her. Kyuhyun sighed upon the thought of his ex-girlfriend. He really hadn’t meant to break her heart. It’s just that he felt like their relationship was getting nowhere. They wanted different things in life. She wanted to travel the world and see new places; He wanted to stay in Seoul and continue developing software programs for his father’s company. He wasn’t willing to sacrifice his own happiness for the sake of their relationship. So he knew it was the end of the line for them, and he wished that deep inside her, she knew it too.

Being in London brought back memories, though. technically he hadn't really been here physically before. He wasn't hurting or anything, he just missed having her around. One thing's for sure. I am not going to be looking for love anytime soon. Especially NOT here in London.

Kyuhyun looked around again and sighed. After a few minutes, he heaved another sigh.

 If it weren’t for that stupid 3 month-long seminar, I would’ve flown back to Seoul already. Kyuhyun thought as he mussed his hair in frustration. “AIIIISH!” He then pulled out his phone from his pocket once more as he strode off to nowhere.

He typed in ‘Liverpool St, 155 bishopsgate’ again irritatingly, walking amongst the crowds. He wasn’t really paying attention anymore because at the rate he was going, he knew he was bound to be late for the first lecture.

Kyuhyun quickened his pace as he attempted to follow the trails his phone directed at him one more time. Just as he was doing this, his phone died.

“YAH! JINJJA WAE?! AASDFGHJKJHGFDFGHJ! ” He screamed in frustration as he tried to open his phone, but alas, it was already drained out of charge. Kyuhyun snapped, his face, red all over. “Aishh, YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING PIECE OF---” He was about to smash his phone to the ground when suddenly. He heard someone call out to him.

“Kyuhyun-ssi!”

He turned to look at the person and saw that it was a girl. A Korean girl. She had long, brown, wavy hair and pink puffy cheeks.  Her eyes probed him worriedly as she walked over to him.

Kyuhyun looked at the girl in confusion. He looked around to make sure that she really was approaching him and not someone else, and when he saw that she was, he couldn’t help but furrow his eyebrows.

Do I know her? Did I date her or something?

“Uhmm Kyuhyun, right?” The girl asked as she panted.

Kyuhyun slowly nodded as he eyed the girl suspiciously.

“Uhh.. hi. I’m Seo Joohyun. My unnies and I saw you from across the park and we were wondering…” The girl, Joohyun, fidgeted as he searched for the right words.

Ah, I see how it is. She’s trying to ask me out. Kyuhyun automatically thought. Girls asking him out wasn’t really something new to him. He was used to it. He knew he often comes off as obnoxious to some, but he had a certain charm that girls couldn't seem to resist.

Even when he was exclusively dating someone, girls would still try to win him over, but of course, he wasn’t that kind of guy. Don't be mistaken, though. Kyuhyun has had his fair share of girlfriends that would last him a lifetime and he had taken most of them seriously, he just felt like every single time, there was something pulling him back. 

The two things Kyuhyun's ex-girlfriends had in common were this: 1. They were all quite the head-turners and 2. they were all quite boring. Except Victoria. Though he thought that what his lovelife might have lacked was a bit of spice and confidence on the side of the girl, he still didn't find it appealing when girls were too straightforward, so even if the girl before him was by far, the prettiest one that had ever tried to openly ask him out, he still had to decline.

 “I’m sorry, but I’m not interested.” He told the girl apologetically.

The girl, in turn, looked at him with her brows furrowed, as if she didn’t understand what he was saying. “Eh?”

This time it was Kyuhyun’s turn to look at the girl in bewilderment. “Weren’t you trying to ask me out?”

The girl’s eyes widened at this, but after a few seconds, she chuckled softly as she shook her head. “Ani. We were just wondering if there was anything we could do to help you. We noticed your..errr… rants and my unnies told me to approach you to ask what was wrong, since according to them, ‘it’s embarrassing to have a fellow Korean act like a lunatic because people might assume all Koreans are like that’. So, yeah... I’ll see you later.”

Kyuhyun couldn’t help but stare after her even as she walked away from him. He then remembered something he wanted to ask.

“Seohyun-ah!”

The girl looked back at him over her shoulder with the same confused expression.

“How’d you know my name?” Kyuhyun half-yelled.

The girl smiled at him, before she spoke. “It’s Seo Joohyun… and it’s written on the back of your shirt!”

She then turned her back on him and ran over to a group of girls.

Kyuhyun contemplated more as he walked. Joohyun?…back of my—He twisted his head to look at the back of his shirt. Sure enough, there, written in bold hangul characters, was his name, Cho Kyuhyun.

Joohyun eh?

He smiled as he pondered more about the simple, yet iridescent Joohyun, completely forgetting about the venue he was supposed to go to and the meeting he was about to attend.

Little did he know, their paths were going to cross again.

February 3rd, 2010

Aiiish. Henry's gonna kill me! I can't believe I overslept. Kyuhyun made his way through the crowds of college students in the University of London-College of Music, looking for his chinese-canadian friend who teaches classical music there.

"Hyung! What took you so long?" Henry approached him with a hug.

"Keke. Mian. I went drinking with my instructor last night and I'm still hungover.." Kyuhyun scratched his head as he grinned at his friend.

"Still a heavy drinker, I see."

"Yeah..." Kyuhyun chuckled. "So, what have you been up to? Aside from teaching kids who are older than you, I mean."

"Students can get a bit frisky, but I can handle them...OH , I forgot, hyung. I still have class!" Henry looked at his watch with shock. "I'll call you later hyung, bye! Let's drink!" 

"Are you kidding---" Kyuhyun started off, but Henry was already gone.

Kyuhyun then went back towards the main entrance dejectedly. He was slugging his way through the corridors when he collided with someone. 

*english*

"I'm very sorry. I didn't see you." The girl bowed before sprinting off, but not before Kyuhyun caught a glimpse of her face.

Kyuhyun smiled as he made his way back to his hotel.

It was the girl from two weeks ago. Seo Joohyun.

February 7^th, 2010

Kyuhyun glanced at his watch as he strode along the lobby of the Corinthia. He was on his way back to his hotel room at when he heard the melody of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake being played on the piano. He didn’t know why, but the notes struck him in a way, as if it was fate was pulling him towards something he completely wasn't expecting. He followed the melody and sure enough, he was led to the hotel restaurant.

He sat down on one table and was surprised when he saw who was playing. Seo Joohyun. Again.

Kyuhyun couldn’t help but stare in awe as she struck the keys gently with her long, yet delicate fingers. The way she smiled as she hit each note with precision. As Joohyun finished her piece, the people in the restaurant applauded. Lots of people went up to her to compliment her, making her smile that genuine smile of hers.

Kyuhyun didn’t approach her like he originally planned. He didn't exactly leave either. Instead, he found himself running out of the restaurant abruptly and coming back 5 minutes later with a bouquet on hand.

He looked around for Joohyun and found her at sitting at the nearby table with whom he assumed to be the same ‘unnies’ she was with before.

Kyuhyun strode towards Joohyun nervously. Deliberating on whether or not he was going to approach her.

His feet seemed to have minds of their own, because just mere seconds later, Seo Joohyun was right in front of him.

He coughed to get her attention before muttering, “Joohyun-ssi...”

Joohyun looked genuinely surprised to see him. “Ah… Kyuhyun-ssi, right? I didn’t expect to see you here…”

“Me too…” Kyuhyun scratched his head as searched the right words to say. “Well, I mean… seeing you here. Not seeing me here. Ah…these are for you. You were wonderful.”Kyuhyun muttered as he handed over the bouquet to Joohyun.

Joohyun took the flowers shyly as she quietly thanked him.

"You were great." Kyuhyun complimented.

Joohyun chuckled softly as she uttered, "You said that already. But I play here every weekend, if you really did find my performance good."

Thus, started a friendship both of them weren’t expecting to find.

March 2nd, 2010

“Seohyunnie! Wait up!” Kyuhyun called out affectionately for the girl with the long, brown, wavy hair.

“Kyuhyun-ah! Palli! We’re going to miss the last rotation if you don’t hurry up…” Joohyun pouted at him as she pointed to the London eye.

Kyuhyun couldn’t help but smile at the girl’s persistence. Her hair was a mess from all the running, yet she continued to run like there was no tomorrow. Just a month ago, he wouldn't have thought that the meek Seo Joohyun had it in her to run like this, but now, he wasn't so sure. It didn’t matter though. To him, she always looked beautiful.

In the past month, he and Joohyun had grown awfully close. So close, that he was able to call her ‘Seohyun’ freely. So close, that he had been spending a lot of his free time with her. So close, that he even started to develop feelings for her.

If it had been a few months ago, Kyuhyun would've surely sworn off against developing feelings for someone as fast as he did for Joohyun. But now, He knew that he had, in fact, started to feel something special for Joohyun. If it's love, he wasnt sure... but he knew it was something more than friendship.

"Kyuhyun-ah, what are you thinking about?" Joohyun peered over at him with concern.

"It's nothing.."

"Then let's goooo!" Joohyun told him enthusiastically as she ran towards the line to the ferris wheel.

“Aigoo. Arasso, arasso.” He said as he ran after her.

As they were nearing the gates, Joohyun grabbed Kyuhyun’s hand and pulled at him as she picked up her speed. Kyuhyun was taken aback by the action and blushed.

As they waited in line, Kyuhyun noticed that his hand was still intertwined with Joohyun’s. He smiled as he gave her hand a squeeze.

Joohyun looked at their intertwined hands and blushed. She attempted to let go, but Kyuhyun held on firmly.

Even after they were inside the ferris wheel cab, Kyuhyun did not let go.

As they overlooked the city in silence, Kyuhyun couldn’t help but think. He looked at the girl beside him and studied her. Even with her hair in tangles, she still managed to pluck at his heartstrings.

Joohyun seemed to have felt Kyuhyun’s stare because she turned to look at him. Her eyes widened for a brief moment before she slowly gave him a smile.

They stayed in silence for a few moments before Kyuhyun suddenly found himself speaking.

“Seohyunnie, I don’t want to be friends with you anymore.”

Upon hearing this, Joohyun furrowed her eyebrows at Kyuhyun in confusion. “Wae? Did I do something wrong?”

Kyuhyun then released her hand. Joohyun flinched, but refused to speak. “Ani. It’s just that…”

Joohyun looked at him and stared. “That what, Kyuhyun-ah?”

“Aiish, I just don’t see you that way anymore…” Kyuhyun told her as he held her hand once more.

Joohyun looked away as she pulled her hand away from Kyuhyun’s.

For a while, no one spoke.

“Seohyunnie… can I ask you something?”

Am I really doing this? Kyuhyun asked himself as he looked at the girl beside him.

“W-what is it?” Joohyun asked with her back turned to Kyuhyun.

“I don’t want to be your friend anymore… Can I be your boyfriend instead?”

Joohyun didn’t speak for a while. She then turned to look at Kyuhyun with teary eyes.

Kyuhyun didn't know what to make out of this. He felt panic surging through him as he searched for the right words, to make things less awkward.

“Yah! If you don’t want to, just say so.” Kyuhyun told her, pouting as he crossed his arms.

Joohyun then held onto his arm and blushed as she uttered a quiet “I-I want to try.”

Kyuhyun then looked at her with the biggest grin he’d ever worn. “Jinjja?!”

Joohyun looked up at him with a smile and nodded.

Thus, started their days as lovers.

March 31st, 2010

“Oppa!” Joohyun called.

Kyuhyun smiled upon hearing the sweet, melodic voice of his girlfriend.

“Seohyunnie~” Kyuhyun quickly approached her as he reached for her hand and kissed it.

Joohyun couldn’t help but blush. She wasn’t used to skinship, so Kyuhyun was taking his time with her. So far, hand-kissing is the farthest they’ve gone.

“I-I’m sorry for being late, oppa. My professor wouldn’t let me out early as usual.” Joohyun apologized as a crimson blush continued to adorn her cheeks.

“It’s okay, jagiya. I know it must be hectic for you, now that you’re on your third year, but it gets easier. Trust me.” Kyuhyun squeezed her hand as they continued to stroll down Shaftesbury Avenue.

“Do you like being a software developer, oppa?”

“Yes. I think this is the most suitable job for me. I don’t imagine myself doing anything else… I know I’ve been doing it for just a year, but I feel like in 10 years or so, it’ll still be where I am.”

Joohyun smiled at his answer before she sighed. “Why is it that you’re 3 years ahead of me again?”

“Because I was born 3 years earlier, silly.” Kyuhyun grinned at her.

“Aish, you‘re being a smartass again.” Joohyun sighed.

“No, I’m not. You’re just being silly.” Kyuhyun teased.

“Aish… I’m not.” Joohyun pouted. At that very moment, Kyuhyun couldn’t help himself from doing what he did next.

He kissed Joohyun on the lips.

Joohyun remained motionless, so Kyuhyun decided he made a wrong move.

“I’m sorry, Seohyunnie. I just…” Kyuhyun started off, but Joohyun cut him off by saying, “It’s okay, oppa.”

He then turned to look at her, only to see her blushing profusely.

Joohyun then looked at him straight with a smile. “If it’s oppa, then it’s okay.”

“I love you.” Kyuhyun found himself saying. He didn’t expect the next thing that happened, though.

This time, it was Joohyun’s turn to kiss him… on the cheek.

“I love you too, Oppa.”

April 18^th, 2010

“Seohyunnie?” Kyuhyun called out from his table at the hotel restaurant where he was used to seeing Joohyun work part-time.

“I’ll be right there, oppa. I’ll just talk with manager-nim for a bit.”

After a good 10 minutes, they came out of the hotel with their hands interlaced.

They walked comfortably in silence as the circled the streets of London.

After a while, Kyuhyun spoke.

“Seohyunnie, when do your classes for the semester end?”

“Three days from now. Waeyo, oppa?”

“Seohyunnie, you know that I’m bound to go back to Seoul anytime soon, right?” Kyuhyun probed as he looked at the girl beside him.

The latter nodded slowly as she looked at the ground.

“How soon?” She muttered, refusing to look up.

“Three days from now…” Kyuhyun answered, all the while, looking at his girlfriend.

This made her Joohyun look up at him, as if to ask if he was serious.

Kyuhyun just looked at her solemnly as he her hand.

“Oh…”

“Please come with me.”

May 2^nd, 2010-Seoul

“Oppa, where are we going?” Joohyun asked as she patiently followed his footsteps.

“We’re almost there.” Kyuhyun told her, as he continued to guide her through the streets he knew so well.

Kyuhyun smiled at the girl with him. He didn't know that he could be so happy at the mere sight of another person.

He had fallen, hard and fast. And the fact that she was there with him today, made him assume that she had, too.

Joohyun continued to follow Kyuhyun as she trudged through the piles of leaves covering the pavements.

Kyuhyun then stopped at a seemingly empty lot.

Joohyun then walked closer and once she did, she couldn’t speak. Instead, she hugged Kyuhyun tight as she whispered, “Thank you, Oppa.” in his ear.

Before them was a grand piano, and a wall painted with the view of the London eye at night.

“I thought you might be missing home, so I thought I’d bring a small semblance of it to you.”

“I love you, oppa.”

“I love you too, Seohyunnie.”

June 28^th, 2010

Kyuhyun looked at the clock as he waited for his girlfriend to arrive. In the meantime, he continued to work on his cooking.

Sure enough, just a mere minute later, Joohyun came knocking at his door.

“Hi, oppa!” She came in and took off her coat. She quickly approached him to see what he was up to.

“I’m cooking, because it’s our 4^th monthsary. AND it’s your birthday!” Kyuhyun boasted as he showed him the sauce he had conjured up.

“Jinjja? What are you cooking?” Joohyun asked him excitedly.

“Spaghetti.” He told her cheerfully.

“Then I’ll help!” Joohyun told him as she tied her hair.

In the end, it was Joohyun who did the cooking.

“Aish, jagiya. I was the one who was supposed to cook for you.”

“It’s okay oppa. I don’t mind.” Joohyun smiled as she prepared the table.

Kyuhyun stared at her for a few moments before calling her attention.

“Yah, Seohyun.”

“Waeyo, oppa?”

“I think I might be falling for you harder, if that's even possible.”

Joohyun looked at him with a small smile. “Well, I guess that makes two of us.”

July 13^th, 2010

Kyuhyun and Joohyun were strolling down Gwanghwamun square peacefully.

As usual, they walked in silence up until one of them spoke.

“Seohyunnie, when do your classes start again?” Kyuhyun asked seriously.

“I’d have to leave in two months, oppa.”

Kyuhyun swallowed. It’s that soon? Can I really withstand parting with her?

Joohyun looked at him with concern. “What’s wrong, oppa?”

“Nothing, I was just wondering.”

August 20^th, 2010

“Kyuhyun-oppa, where do you see yourself 10 years from now?” Joohyun suddenly asked while they were on their usual dates.

Kyuhyun pondered upon this before smiling at her.

“With you, making babies.”

“Yah, oppa. Be serious.”

Anywhere is fine, as long as I’m with you. Kyuhyun thought, but that wasn’t what he said.

“Well, I think I’ll still be here in Seoul, developing software programs. What about you?”

Joohyun stared at him long for a moment before she answered.

“Around the world, touring with the greatest orchestra.”

“Of course, while making babies with me.. right? Kekeke.”

Joohyun gave him a small smile in return as she looked into a distance.

September 16^th, 2010

“Yeoboseyo?” Kyuhyun answered the phone groggily. He looked at the clock and saw that it was only 3:00am.

“Oppa…” Joohyun’s voice cracked through the phone.

“Seohyunnie? Waeyo? Are you alright?”

“Oppa, do you remember when I asked you… 'where do you see yourself 10 years from now' and you said you’d surely be in Seoul, developing software programs?”

Kyuhyun panicked, he had a bad feeling in his gut.

“Seohyun, I don’t understand what---”

“I’m leaving, oppa. Let’s break up.”

“No, Seohyun. Don’t. We can work this out. I’ll go with you if I have to.”

“That’s just it, oppa. You will. And I won’t have that.“

Kyuhyun could hear her stifling her sobs.

“Seohyun, I---”

“Goodbye oppa.”

And the line went dead.

January 20^th, 2015

Kyuhyun looked up at the sky as the clouds greyed upon him. He couldn’t help but be reminded of London. He couldn’t help but be reminded of her.

It’s been 5 years since our fateful encounter and I still can’t forget about you.  I regret not coming after you. I regret not telling you to stay. I had loved you and I still do. I knew in my heart you were the one, but I was too reluctant. 

Seohyunnie, if I had begged you to, would you have stayed?

Hiiiiii! So here's the first chapter! YAAAYYYY. 

Thank you so much for the early subscribers/upvoters. LOVE YOU TO BITS!

I really really tried hard, so that I could post on Kyu's birthday, so mission accomplished., I guess.

Anyway, I hope you guys like it! Love you all! ^^ Mwaaaahh. :*