Sungmin woke up to a rather bright light spilling into his room. He raised an arm sleepily to shade his eyes. He blinked as his eyes adjusted, wondering who had shone a spotlight into the room while he was asleep. Jiwon wouldn’t like this.
Oh, it wasn’t a spotlight. It was simply the sun shining through the open drapes. Sungmin looked around quickly for Jiwon. He would be angry if he realized that Sungmin had forgotten to close the drapes. Then he remembered where he was. He was in Kyuhyun’s house.
Sungmin tried to get out of the bed and ended up falling on the floor, his body extremely sore from the events of yesterday. He had slept in the clothes he had been beaten in, resulting in some of the bloodier areas being stuck to his skin. Sungmin pulled the cloth off of his body and bit his lip at the pain.
Picking himself off the ground with difficulty, he made his way to the window. He smiled as he saw the beauty of morning that was free to spread everywhere instead of being shut out by drapes. He wished Jiwon liked the drapes open. Then he would be able to see this. Sungmin sighed and turned away from the window.
He walked slowly to the door so as not to spark pain from any part of his body. He opened the door and was greeted with the smell of something delicious. He followed the delectable scent and found Kyuhyun in the kitchen, cooking.
Sungmin felt extremely touched as he watched Kyuhyun pour batter onto a frying pan. He walked into the kitchen and accidentally knocked over a potted plant. The ceramic pot made a loud shattering sound as it hit the floor, pieces going everywhere. Sungmin stared at the mess.
The pot was made of reflective glass and Sungmin moved forwards to pick the pieces up. He was reaching out for one when he looked down. Each little shard of the ceramic pot reflected a part of him. Sungmin stared down at the shattered pieces. Am I really so broken?
A shadow loomed above him and Sungmin jumped backwards. Kyuhyun stood over him, his face blocked by shadows. Sungmin felt fear rise up in him again. Jiwon always hit him for breaking things. Kyuhyun moved towards him and Sungmin acted on instinct and recoiled quickly. His back hit the wall and he had nowhere else to go. Kyuhyun was still walking towards him.
“I’m sorry. It was an accident. Please, forgive me!” Sungmin pleaded softly. Kyuhyun took notice of his words and raised his hand. Sungmin closed his eyes and turned away. He waited for the blow but it never came. Instead, he felt a gentle touch under his chin which lifted his head up and then turned it to the right. He opened his eyes as he watched Kyuhyun explore the rest of his body.
“Are you alright?” Kyuhyun asked. Sungmin’s eyes opened wide. He had just smashed one of Kyuhyun’s flowerpots and he was asking him if he was alright?
“Are-aren’t you going to punish me?” Sungmin breathed. Kyuhyun stared at him.
“Why would I punish you for something like that? Didn’t I promise you that I would never hurt you?” Kyuhyun asked. Sungmin blinked.
“But.....but I broke one of your things,” Sungmin answered, completely confused. Wasn’t everyone punished for these kinds of things? By now, Jiwon would have slapped him and maybe would have punched him a couple of times. Kyuhyun had instead, checked to see if he was hurt.
“It can be replaced or mended. You can be mended but certainly not replaced.”
Sungmin had never heard words like that in his whole life. No one had ever told him that he was irreplaceable. Not even his parents or his ‘umma’ and ‘appa’ or Yesung and Ryeowook or Eunhae. No one. A tingly feeling rushed through his body as he stared at Kyuhyun. A little pressure was applied to his wrist and Sungmin gasped softly.
“You have a small cut on your wrist. It should be fine in a couple of days,” Kyuhyun said, magically producing a bandage from his pocket. Sungmin nodded.
“Thank you,” he whispered. Kyuhyun smiled brightly. It meant so much to hear that from Sungmin. He had no idea why. Maybe it was because Sungmin really meant what he said and was so careful to who he opened himself to.
“You’re welcome. Would you like breakfast? I made pancakes for you,” Kyuhyun invited.
“You didn’t have to go to all this trouble for me,” Sungmin said quietly.
“I wanted to. You’ve been through a lot.”
Sungmin froze. How much did Kyuhyun know?
“Wh-what?” Sungmin stammered. He was afraid of what Jiwon would say if anyone found out about what was happening to him.
“Well you got pretty beat up last night and you had a ton of injuries. It would be better if you didn’t strain yourself,” Kyuhyun replied, giving Sungmin an odd look as though it should have been perfectly obvious to what he was talking about. Sungmin breathed easier. Kyuhyun didn’t know.
“Oh…..yes,” Sungmin murmured. He picked up the fork that was placed beside his plate and began to eat the pancakes with gratitude. The taste was delicious and Sungmin wondered where Kyuhyun had learned all this. He finished his meal, looking regretfully at the ones that were left over. If only he could still eat the amount he used to.
“Do you want to get cleaned up? You can use the shower in my bathroom. It’s the last door on the hall. Just go through my bedroom and you’ll see a door across my bed. I’ll wash your clothes for you and put them on my bed for you okay? Then we’ll decide what to do,” Kyuhyun smiled as he cleaned away the dishes. Sungmin nodded obediently.
He got up and walked to Kyuhyun’s bedroom. He wasn’t going to protest using Kyuhyun’s bathroom because it allowed him to look at all the beautiful flowers in Kyuhyun’s room. He pushed open the door and his mouth hung open in awe.
Kyuhyun’s balcony door was wide open and a gentle breeze was flowing through the room. The flowers all seemed ten times brighter than they had previously. In fact, they almost seemed to sing as the fresh air bounced around the room.
Sungmin walked into the beautiful jungle of different plants. There were so many different flowers of different shapes and colours. The sheer beauty of the room made Sungmin want to live here forever.
He walked over to the bathroom and stripped himself of his clothing, wincing when he had to rip off a piece that was dried to him. He placed the dirty clothing on Kyuhyun’s bed, feeling slightly guilty for making Kyuhyun’s bed unclean. He stepped into the warm shower and began to bathe, feeling the traces of Jiwon wash away.
~₪~₪~₪~₪~
Kyuhyun had just finished putting the dishes away when his phone rang. He walked over to the table and picked up the phone.
“Yoboseyo?”
“Are you sure you dialled the right number? I think you dialled this one right here.”
“Uh…hello?”
“No! I dialled the one that says Cho Jisung!”
“Did you need something?” Kyuhyun tried.
“Well why don’t you ask the person their name? Then we’ll see if you dialled correctly.”
“Umm…I’m on the line.”
Fine! I’ll do that! You’ll see I’m right. Hi, I’m Kim Heechul. What’s your name?”
“I’m Cho Kyuhyun,” Kyuhyun answered hesitantly.
“I TOLD you that you dialled Cho Kyuhyun instead of Cho Jisung! You’re not right all the time Kim Heechul!”
“Did you need anything?” Kyuhyun interjected.
“Yes, we’re trying to find a missing person, his name is-“
“Why don’t you try being polite? He’s not going to tell us anything now that you’ve practically yelled at him!”
“Will you shut up, Yesung? I’ve got the situation completely under control!”
“Fine, but don’t come crying to me if he thinks you’re completely rude and refuses to tell you anything!”
“I wouldn’t go crying to you anyways, Yesung!”
“You do realize that I’m still on the phone right?” Kyuhyun interjected. The other two on the line took no notice.
“I wouldn’t want you to come crying to me!”
“Good, cause I wouldn’t!”
“The other guy is still on the line, you know that right?” Another voice joined the two bickering ones.
“Thank you for that Ryeowookie. Now that you’ve kept him waiting, Yesung, he probably hung up! Hey!Are you still there?!”
“Yes, I’m still here,” Kyuhyun answered, wondering what ability this Ryeowook had to make people listen to him.
“I’m sorry for bothering you. We got the wrong number thanks to a certain someone who didn’t tell me the right number!”
“It’s fine. I hope you find your missing person,” Kyuhyun replied.
“We hope so too. Goodbye. Yesung how dare you suggest…”
Kyuhyun felt sorry for the man called Yesung as he hung up the phone. He wouldn’t like to be on the receiving end of this Heechul either. He made his way into the bedroom where he picked up Sungmin’s clothes.
He brought them to the washing machine. He quickly checked all the pockets for things that might get lost or ruined. He smiled when he pulled out his cellphone number. He put the clothes into the washing machine and waited while they were cleaned. Then he dried them and brought the clothes back to the bedroom. He had just put them on the edge of the bed when he noticed something.
There was a tear in the collar and something sparkled there. Kyuhyun used his fingernails to pull out a cheap diamond. It looked like one of those diamonds that were used in substandard rings. Kyuhyun pocketed the diamond and folded the shirt. He walked outside to feed the koi fish in the fountain and check on his ivy.
He heard the screen door open and close and turned to see Sungmin walking towards him, dressed in his now clean clothing and smiling a little.
“You’re looking better already, now that you’ve cleaned up,” Kyuhyun grinned in Sungmin’s direction. Sungmin blushed a little and bowed in thanks.
“That’s good. I wanted to look nice for you. After all, you’ve done so much for me already, I wanted to find a way to repay you,” Sungmin murmured. Kyuhyun stared at him. That was the most he had ever heard Sungmin say at one time.
“You do look very nice,” Kyuhyun said, half to himself as he gazed at the older male. Sungmin turned away shyly.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Shoot.”
“Why do you have so many plants? Isn’t it a lot of work?”
“Yes, it is a lot of work but it’s nice to see the result of that work. There’s something satisfactory about giving something life and seeing it grow up, knowing that you’ve nurtured it and fed it,” Kyuhyun explained. Sungmin nodded.
“I see,” Sungmin said, so softly that Kyuhyun had to strain to hear him. He looked at the sad face of Sungmin and felt the utmost desire to change that expression into happiness. He opened his mouth to say something funny but the words that came out were completely different.
For the remainder of his life, Kyuhyun could not justify why he had spoken these words. The only thing he could come up with was that they came from the soul, not from the mind.
“It’s also nice….to have something to care for,” Kyuhyun said, unsure of whether he was talking about Sungmin or his plants. At his words, Sungmin changed. In the two days that Kyuhyun had known him, Sungmin had never fully smiled. But now, he did, and he truly smiled.
The light that spread across his face at Kyuhyun’s words made Kyuhyun so unbearably happy that he could only smile back. The two of them gazed at each other, forgetting the world around them. They were the only ones who existed.
~₪~₪~₪~₪~
“We’ve called every single Jisung in the phone book and none of them know a Lee Sungmin or a Jisung who knows a Lee Sungmin!” Heechul poked Hankyung out of a chair and sat down himself. Hankyung sat contently on the floor beside him.
“I’ve dialled so many phone numbers that my fingers are probably a lot shorter than they were before! They’ve practically worn away!” Heechul complained. Yesung looked at him.
“You only dialled four before you made me do the rest!” Yesung protested. Ryeowook nodded in agreement.
“You didn’t do a very good job of it! At least I only made one mistake when I dialled that guy instead of Cho Jisung!”
“You kept moving the book around!”
“Yah! Don’t blame your mistakes on me!”
“Well it wasn’t me who was moving-” Yesung was cut off.
“Why are my children fighting?” Eeteuk asked, sitting down on the sofa beside Ryeowook.
“We just finished calling all the Jisungs in the phonebook and Yesung is blaming me for his mistakes,” Heechul told their umma. Eeteuk looked confused.
“Why were you calling every Jisung?” He asked.
“To find Sungminnie’s lover.”
“His name isn’t Jisung! It’s Jisong! Who told you it was Jisung?”
Four pairs of eyes turned to the empty spot where Hankyung used to be.
“Get back here, Hankyung!”
~₪~₪~₪~₪~
“Could you drive me to 34 Jaeyang Road? I have something to do.”
“Sure, hyung. I’ll take you there,” Kyuhyun nodded. Sungmin smiled in response and waited for him by the door. He knew that Jiwon would never forgive him if he didn’t ask Seunghyun for forgiveness.
The two of them walked out to where Kyuhyun had parked his car. In silence they drove to their destination. Neither of them were talking but neither of them noticed it. They were too busy enjoying each other’s presence.
They pulled up to a huge house. Sungmin stared up at it feeling terrified. How was he supposed to apologize to Seunghyun if he couldn’t even get the words out?
“C-c-could you come with me?” Sungmin asked, grabbing onto Kyuhyun’s arm. The younger flushed from the contact but nodded anyway. The pair got out of the car and made their way up the giant stone steps. Two bronze lions stood at attention at the doorway and even the gold knocker was the head of a lion.
Sungmin shivered at the sheer size of the place. He reached out and knocked on the door. He was breathing erratically.
“Sungmin, relax. I don’t know what you are so afraid of but I want you to relax,” Kyuhyun placed a steadying arm on Sungmin’s shoulder. His hyung nodded and took a deep breath.
“State your name and your business!” A voice called from somewhere. Sungmin jumped.
“Ah…Lee Sungmin….to see Seunghyun,” Sungmin answered shakily.
“One moment please!” The voice spoke again. There was silence before a beep and the door opened automatically, stunning Sungmin into silence.
“Hello, Sungmin. What brings you here?”
Sungmin remained silent as he watched Seunghyun walk purposefully down the stairs. He motioned for the pair of them to enter his house and they did so.
“And who is the man you brought with you? Oh, I should call Jiyong. He would like to see you. Jiyong! Sungmin is here!” Seunghyun called up the stairs. At the sight of Jiyong sliding down the stair banister, Sungmin found his voice again.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to!” Sungmin cried out, falling into a full bow. Kyuhyun, Seunghyun and Jiyong stared at him in confusion.
“What are you talking about?” Jiyong asked. Sungmin looked up at him, tears pooling in his eyes.
“He told me that I seduced you because you touched my face. I’m sorry! I didn’t want to cause trouble between you and Seunghyun! Please forgive me!” Sungmin pleaded.
“I was watching you guys the entire time to check that Jiyong wasn’t going to kill you accidentally. You didn’t seduce him,” Seunghyun said slowly as though talking to a small child who had no idea that he hadn’t done something wrong.
“You never seduced me, Sungmin,” Jiyong reassured him, wondering why Sungmin would come here under the delusion that he had seduced him.
“But…he-he said that I did.”
Understanding sparked in Jiyong’s mind.
“You didn’t do anything wrong. Why don’t you come into the kitchen and have a drink?” Jiyong reassured him. Sungmin followed him and Kyuhyun trailed behind, confused about the entire exchange.
“Who is the friend you brought with you?” Jiyong asked after he had poured Sungmin some juice.
“I’m Cho Kyuhyun,” Kyuhyun answered. Jiyong ran a critical eye over him.
“He helped me when I needed it,” Sungmin piped up randomly, wanting Jiyong to like Kyuhyun. This had the desired effect. Jiyong immediately broke into a wide smile and invited Kyuhyun to sit down.
“So, what do you do for a living?”
“I work at a grocery store.”
“Really? A grocery store? If I shop there, can I get a discount?” Jiyong asked.
“Maybe,” Kyuhyun laughed.
“What do you need a grocery store for? You’re always in the fashion stores! Fashion is his life,” Seunghyun explained to Kyuhyun.
“Well you don’t want me to look trashy now, do you?” Jiyong retaliated.
“You look fine Jiyong-hyung,” Kyuhyun said.
“Call me G-Dragon.”
“What?”
“It’s his favourite nickname,” Seunghyun explained. He then proceeded to tell Kyuhyun about the origins of his name. Meanwhile, Jiyong had lost interest and moved to Sungmin who was still breathing hard from his apologies.
“It’s nice to see you again. This will give me the chance I need to talk to you. Is he your true friend?” Jiyong asked. Sungmin didn’t think twice. He nodded.
“Yes. He helped me last night.”
“Did Jiwon beat you?”
“Yes,” Sungmin saw no point in hiding it. Jiyong was too smart for that.
“Why did he do that?” Jiyong asked. People like that made him sick. He would do all he could to help Sungmin but he knew that ultimately, it would be Kyuhyun who would save him. He could see the hidden feelings that Sungmin had for him, so hidden that Sungmin himself might not be aware of it yet.
“He thought I seduced you when he touched my face. He beat me for putting his reputation in jeopardy. He doesn’t want to be known as the boyfriend of a whore,” Sungmin told him.
“He beat you because he was concerned about his reputation,” Jiwon stated angrily. “Does Kyuhyun know about this?”
“No, please don’t tell him. Jiwon would hate it if his name was tarnished,” Sungmin said quietly while shaking his head.
“He already did a good job of that himself,” Jiyong growled, ignoring the first part of Sungmin’s answer. He didn’t get to ask anything else because at that moment, Jiwon himself walked in the door. Sungmin’s eyes opened wide and he immediately stood up. Jiyong watched Sungmin’s reaction and he frowned. I’m sorry, Sungmin. But you deserve better.
“Ah, Sungmin! You are here! Did he apologize to you, Seunghyun?” Jiwon asked, staring hard at Sungmin. He squirmed under Jiwon’s piercing gaze. Kyuhyun noticed this and moved towards Sungmin, placing a hand on his arm. Jiwon saw this and his eyes narrowed before he turned to Seunghyun.
“There was nothing to apologize for. He did nothing wrong,” Seunghyun said, almost coldly. Jiwon took no notice of this.
“You are too kind. Well, I’ll take Sungmin with me. We have some business to take care of,” Jiwon held out his hand and Sungmin meekly walked towards him. Jiwon placed his hand on Sungmin’s shoulder and gripped him tightly. He tried not to flinch away from Jiwon’s touch.
Kyuhyun saw Sungmin’s discomfort. Never in his whole life had he wanted to hurt someone so badly. He had just met Jiwon and he felt the huge urge to punch him and never stop. For the first time in his life, Kyuhyun wondered if kidnapping was legal in this sort of situation even though he wasn’t fully aware of the entire situation. All he knew was that Sungmin was with someone he shouldn’t be.
Then he caught sight of Jiwon’s hand. What he saw froze his blood. He was too focused on what he saw to realize that Jiwon was saying goodbye until Jiwon steered Sungmin out of the kitchen and out of the house.
Jiwon’s right hand had rested on Sungmin’s shoulder and there were four rings on his fingers. One of them was inset with diamonds. And one diamond was missing. Kyuhyun got up to leave.
“Wait!” Seunghyun called.
“I want to talk to you,” Jiyong said and Kyuhyun sat down again.
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