Chapter 3 When Life Betrays You

Disclaimer: This fanfic is not mine, it's from the author I admire most,http://cosmic-celestia.livejournal.com/9977.html. Thanks for this wonderful fanfic. I copied and pasted it here in my blog so it is easier to load on my iPhone, because my iPhone reallly hates WiFi.

---

Sungmin was jumping up and down on the sofa like a little kid. The reason for this? He was trying to squish the death threat letter down so that nobody could see the lump it made under the cushions. He was still jumping like this when Kyuhyun walked into the room.

“Minnie? What are you doing?” Kyuhyun asked, watching the elder bounce up and down.

“I’m having fun,” Sungmin answered, his voice slightly breathless as he continued to jump. Kyuhyun smiled at him.

“Well, you’re having fun up there but I’m lonely down here,” Kyuhyun pouted. Sungmin flopped down on the soft cushions after one final bounce. He held his arms out to Kyuhyun who immediately hugged him.

“I’m down here now,” Sungmin murmured. There was a moment of silence as the two of them forgot the rest of the world and thought of only each other.

~₴~≠~₴~≠~

Sungmin was pacing anxiously in front of the door. He had gotten up early that morning and was waiting for the mail to be delivered. He wasn’t sure if there was going to be another letter like the first death threat but it was always good to be sure.

There was a slight click as the mail fell through the flap in the door. Sungmin darted forwards and picked the small mound of letters off the ground. He sorted through them, another one from Ryeowook (Sungmin asked him why he was sending letters and Ryeowook told him he was bored), another from Heechul and Hankyung in China, two bills and one unmarked envelope and one black one.

Sungmin swallowed and opened the unmarked letter first.

Bribe alpaca before f bountiful.

Sungmin thought for a moment. Bribe meant to give money or something to someone in order to get them to do something dishonest. And what was an alpaca? Before meant previously and bountiful meant generous or abundant. And that made no more sense than the letter it came with. Bribe alpacas to be previously generous? So much for cracking the code.

Sungmin put the letter aside and then looked at the black, silver lined letter underneath it. He opened it quickly, wondering what sort of threat this letter would hold.

Still hanging in there bunny? Not long now. You know how the game works, you’ve seen it before. First the letters, then the scare, then the attack and then the kill. And you know who the prey is. After all, don’t rabbits have a multitude of enemies? The fox is coming. Will you run? Will you hide? Or will you fight? Either way, you’re dead.

Sungmin tore his eyes away from the paper and looked around for a place to hide the letter. Underneath the sofa was still a good place. He immediately lifted up one of the cushions and stuffed the letter underneath. He could not let Kyuhyun worry about something like this. He put the unmarked letter on Kyuhyun’s desk to let him try to figure it out.

Sungmin wished he could do more than just hide letters from his husband. He wished he could resolve this issue without trouble. But this was Jiwon’s gang he was dealing with. Was there anything one could possibly do against a group that size and with that amount of power? Sungmin wasn’t sure but he knew that he wouldn’t worry Kyuhyun about it. The younger male didn’t need to be worrying about him all the time.

He put the thoughts of the black letter out of his mind and made breakfast for Kyuhyun before leaving the house for the flower shop. He closed the door and wondered when this attack would come.

~₴~≠~₴~≠~

Kyuhyun was about to leave for work when Jiyong called, telling him that a pipe broke and the first two floors were flooded with water and not to bother coming in to work today unless he wanted wet feet. So Kyuhyun stayed at home.

He debated calling Sungmin at the store but when he did, he got a busy signal. Kyuhyun never realized that staying at home alone could be so boring. He flopped down on the sofa for lack of something better to do and turned on the television.

He watched something that didn’t interest him whatsoever and only served to fill the emptiness of the house and make his boredom grow even more. He started flipping a coin, seeing how high it would go until he dropped it. This entertained him for a while. The coin was being tossed pretty high when a car honking it’s horn startled him and caused him to drop the money. He sat up and saw it disappear between the cracks of the cushions.

He lifted up the cushions on the sofa and began to search for his coin. The tips of his fingers hit something soft and he pulled out two black envelopes and silver paper. They looked fairly recent and Kyuhyun wondered what they were doing underneath the sofa. He unfolded the soft silver material and scanned the words on the page.

The threatening words on the paper towards Sungmin caused Kyuhyun to see red. He was so angry that someone would dare terrorize his husband. He opened the second letter and read that, trying his hardest not to rip the letter to shreds. His anger built up inside of him. He couldn’t believe this.

Sungmin had already gone through so much and now, he was being put through it again. With this thought, he realized that these letters didn’t get under the cushions by mistake. They were obviously put there by someone.

~₴~≠~₴~≠~

Sungmin walked through the door and closed it. He removed his outdoor clothing and looked around for Kyuhyun. It had been a busy day at the shop and he looked forward to relaxing. He walked into the front hall, wondering where Kyuhyun was.

He ambled into the living room and stopped dead when he saw Kyuhyun holding up two folded sheets of silver paper. He had no idea how Kyuhyun had found them but he cursed himself for not finding a better hiding spot. His brain seemed to slow down and shut off at the appearance of those two letters in Kyuhyun’s hand. He couldn’t think of a good explanation on the spot and he wasn’t sure if he could explain it anyways.

“Sungmin, what are these?” Kyuhyun asked, his tone soft.

“Those are…..” Sungmin trailed off, unable to come up with a reasonable explanation.

“I know what they are, I read them. Why didn’t you tell me about them?”

“I….was….” Sungmin tried to speak. He didn’t want Kyuhyun to know about this. It was supposed to be his knowledge alone. So why was Kyuhyun holding the letters? Why hadn’t he thought of a better hiding spot?

“Do you know how much it hurts to know that your own husband has kept something from you? That he hasn’t trusted you enough?” Kyuhyun asked, his voice shaking.

“I didn’t….”

“Why didn’t you tell me about this? To find out that someone has been threatening you this way makes me feel sick! And even sicker because I didn’t know about it!”

“I didn’t want you to worry about me! You’ve done so much for me already, you took care of me when….he…was abusing me, you comforted me when I was hurting and I didn’t want you to have to worry anymore,” Sungmin was finally able to explain.

“Sungmin, when I asked you to share your life with me, I meant everything. I want to worry about you! I want to know what’s going on so I can protect you. But how can I do that when you don’t trust me enough to do so?”
“I do trust you but you’ve worried about me too often. You shouldn’t have to.”

“And why not? What if I want to? What if I need to? What if I love you so much that if anything were to happen to you, I would die?” Kyuhyun walked closer to Sungmin and tilted his head up to look into his eyes.

“Kyuhyun…..I didn’t want you to worry anymore. It hurts to know that I’m causing you all that worry. So I didn’t think you’d need….”
“But I do need it, Sungmin. I need it so much. I’m a very nosy person. I need to know that you’re safe. I need to know that you’re okay. I need to make sure that you won’t be hurt. When you moved in with me, I swore that you wouldn’t be abused ever again. I swore that I wouldn’t let anything hurt you,” Kyuhyun whispered.

Sungmin’s eyes filled with tears. He had been wrong to hide the letters. He should have shown them to Kyuhyun right away.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause you so much anguish. I just wanted you to be worry free for a while. You deserve a break,” Sungmin replied.

“I love you so much, Minnie. So, so much. So please, don’t keep anything from me. I couldn’t stand it if you were to be hurt and I didn’t know about it in advance in order to keep you safe. You’ve been through this once before. You should never have to go through it again,” Kyuhyun hugged Sungmin tightly.

“I love you too, Kyu,” Sungmin murmured. His voice was slightly muffled but Kyuhyun understood what his hyung was saying. He held Sungmin tighter and nuzzled gently into the crook of his neck.

“Don’t hide from me, Minnie,” Kyuhyun felt a few tears slip from his eyes. Sungmin felt the moisture on his shirt and he felt his heart break. He hadn’t mean to cause Kyuhyun so much anguish.

“I won’t hide from you. I swear,” Sungmin promised. Kyuhyun pulled back and smiled. He kissed his hyung gently and then continued to hold him. Sungmin breathed out shakily. He never wanted to hide anything from Kyuhyun again.

~₴~≠~₴~≠~

Chapter 2 When Life Betrays You

Disclaimer: This fanfic is not mine, it's from the author I admire most,http://cosmic-celestia.livejournal.com/10952.html. Thanks for this wonderful fanfic. I copied and pasted it here in my blog so it is easier to load on my iPhone, because my iPhone reallly hates WiFi.

---

The letter was tempting. Sungmin still felt apprehensive. Something about this letter put him on edge. Should he wait for Kyuhyun or should he open the letter now? Sungmin bit his lip thoughtfully. Curiosity killed the cat, right? Satisfaction brought him back. Sungmin pried open the letter. A creamy white piece of paper fell out and Sungmin picked it up. He unfolded it and began to read.

Embassy caribou fear lei underground amphibian age r. Globe redawa bizarre. Be samosa wife.

Sungmin blinked. Then he read it again. He didn’t understand. What on earth was an ‘embassy caribou’? Why were they afraid of an underground lei and what the hell was an age r? And why the hell would he be a samosa wife? Sungmin was confused.

He looked again at the blank envelope it had come in. It showed nothing of what the words might mean. He tore open the letter of Ryeowook (why Ryeowook was writing to him, he didn’t know, they saw each other every time they worked at the shop) and looked at it closely as if that letter might tell him what was going on.

He opened Hankyung’s letter and discovered that he had written in Chinese. He shook his head. Heechul should never have asked to visit China again. The translation fell out and Sungmin scanned it quickly, discovering that Heechul was learning Mandarin and enjoyed all the clothes from China (the last sentence of the letter mentioned that Hankyung was doing well).

Sungmin smiled. He was glad his friends enjoyed being in China. He closed the letter and put it on the front hall table for Kyuhyun to read later. He then turned back to the mystery letter he had received. Kyuhyun walked down the stairs and found Sungmin sitting on the floor, staring at a piece of paper.

“What are you doing, Minnie?” Kyuhyun asked, looking confused. Sungmin handed him the paper.

“What do you think, Kyuhyun? What does it mean?” Sungmin asked, hoping that his lover would know.

“What on earth is a samosa wife?” Was all Kyuhyun had to say. Sungmin guessed that he didn’t know either.

“I don’t know but what do you think it means? I mean, have you ever gotten a letter that talks about embassy caribou that are afraid of an underground lei with amphibians?”

“I think it’s just junk. You know, someone playing a joke. We should just leave it. Unless of course you know what it means.”

“No, I don’t. I’ll put it in my office and figure out what to do with it,” Sungmin looked at the letter. He still had no idea what it might mean. Kyuhyun nodded.

“Alright. But not yet, I want to spend time with you,” Kyuhyun pulled Sungmin up from the floor and then sat on the sofa and brought Sungmin beside him. Sungmin smiled as Kyuhyun wrapped his arms around him. He leaned against Kyuhyun comfortably, his skin tingling lightly.

“That is a nice idea,” Sungmin murmured softly. No matter how busy Kyuhyun was or how crazy his schedule, he always made time to be with Sungmin. And this touched him truly. Because Sungmin ran a flower shop and was generally free most of the time. Kyuhyun on the other hand, was working at a large business, part of an even larger industry which meant more work and little time. Yet somehow, he was always there for Sungmin.

“Yes, I like it myself,” Kyuhyun answered. Sungmin smiled.

“So how did work go today?” Sungmin asked. Kyuhyun laughed.

“Apart from making the vice president want to kill me? It went well after you showed up. Seunghyun was surprised we actually got work done today. Jiyong wants us to go to his house for dinner sometime. I’m slightly apprehensive,” Kyuhyun ran his fingers through Sungmin’s hair.

“We should sample Jiyong’s cooking. It can’t be so bad.”

“Did you eat the cookies he brought in last month?”

“We can pray that he got better since then,” Sungmin decided.

“Speaking of which, what are we going to do for dinner?” Kyuhyun asked.

“I was thinking-” but whatever Sungmin was thinking, Kyuhyun never found out. At the moment, there was a squealing of tires in their driveway and two frightened screams. Sungmin jumped up from Kyuhyun’s lap and ran to the window. A black car was parked on the asphalt about three inches away from the garage door. Sungmin immediately paled. Kyuhyun came to the window and stared at the car.

“Oh no….” Kyuhyun breathed. Sungmin ran into the kitchen and grabbed two chairs. He handed one to Kyuhyun who held it tightly.

“Come on, let’s get this over with,” Sungmin nodded towards the door. They walked into the front hall just as the doorbell rang. Kyuhyun tightened his grip on the chair.

“Ready?” Sungmin asked. Kyuhyun nodded. Sungmin flung open the door and shoved his chair in front of him. A weak-kneed Kangin fell gratefully into the chair Sungmin had prepared. Kyuhyun opened the door wider and a wild-eyed Yesung collapsed into the second chair.

“What on earth were you thinking?” Kyuhyun asked. Yesung could only shake his head.

“Hello Sungmin-hyung! Guess what?! Umma said my driving was good so he let me drive to your house!” Ryeowook announced as he walked through the door. Sungmin’s jaw dropped as Eeteuk sauntered in cheerfully after him.

“I don’t know why everyone says his driving is terrible. It’s absolutely fine,” Eeteuk grinned as he took off his coat. Kangin simply shook his head and shivered. Sungmin placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Are you okay, Kangin-appa?” Sungmin asked apprehensively. Yesung wasn’t much better off. He was swaying slowly from side to side, looking dangerously near to fainting.

“I think you should re-evaluate Ryeowook’s driving,” Kyuhyun said, looking at the condition of Yesung and Kangin.

Eeteuk waved a dismissive hand, “He may have messed up once or twice but otherwise his driving is fine.”

“He nearly crashed at an intersection! There were two cars coming from opposite directions and he speeds past both at practically the last second! I’m surprised that no police officers have been chasing after us!” Kangin exclaimed, regaining some of his breath. Ryeowook pouted.

“There was enough space there! I got us through easily!”

“Wookie,” Yesung gasped dramatically, causing Ryeowook to rush to his side.

“What is it? Are you having stomach pains?” Ryeowook asked frantically. Yesung shook his head.

“I don’t want you to strain yourself driving home tonight. Let Kangin-appa do that so you can snuggle in the back with me,” Yesung pleaded. Ryeowook’s eyes glowed. He nodded enthusiastically and hugged Yesung tightly.

“Smart guy,” Sungmin mouthed to Kyuhyun who nodded back. Eeteuk smiled at Yesung and Ryeowook, then ushered them all into the spacious living room. Sungmin wondered what on earth Eeteuk was smiling about. Perhaps he hadn’t gone into shock yet.

“So what brings you to our happy home?” Kyuhyun asked, sitting on the sofa, delighted as always to see his friends. Sungmin snuggled in beside him.

“Well actually, we didn’t want to cook our own dinner so we thought that may-oof!” Yesung was elbowed not so discretely by Ryeowook.

“We wanted to visit our friends!” The eternal magnae interrupted. Sungmin smiled knowingly.

“If you’ll help me, I’ll prepare dinner,” Sungmin replied. Ryeowook nodded and bounced up.

“Let me help!” Eeteuk clapped his hands and followed the two into the kitchen. Dinner was late that night because Ryeowook tripped and sparked a huge food fight that resulted in practically everyone becoming covered in food and liquids.

~₴~≠~₴~≠~

Sungmin was trying to find the perfect lobelia while Ryeowook talked about his driving lesson with Yesung and how boringly slow they were supposed to be driving.

“It’s no fun at all,” Ryeowook was saying, “if you have a fast car and can’t use it for the purpose it was made. Speed is the main feature, so why not use it?”

“Speeding ticket,” Sungmin replied, still searching for the flower. One of the customers wanted a bouquet of perfect flowers and that’s what Sungmin was doing now, finding the perfect flowers. Ryeowook was supposed to be helping him but he was too busy talking. Sungmin didn’t mind. He enjoyed it when Ryeowook talked.

“But a speeding ticket is the only reason! If you’re fast the police can’t catch you!”

“Police cars are faster than a normal car,” Sungmin replied. He found the perfect lobelia. “And I worry for your sense of the law.”

“I understand it! I just don’t see why they raise the speed limit,” Ryeowook said, his eyebrows scrunching in thought as if he were finding the answer to the question right then.

“To keep drivers like you from killing the human population,” Sungmin answered, walking back to the front desk and adding the final perfect flower to the others waiting to be wrapped into a bouquet.

“What do you mean by that?” Ryeowook asked, his eyes narrowing slightly. Sungmin stared back at him calmly. No matter how angry Ryeowook tried to look, it was always broken down by his cuteness. Unless of course he got really angry, but Sungmin knew martial arts so he was fine.

“Ryeowookie, drivers like you who…..tend to drive at….a higher velocity….are more likely to get into a car accident or end up killing someone or getting killed themselves. Yesung doesn’t want this to happen to you so that’s why he’s teaching you to drive slowly,” Sungmin explained, cutting the flower to the proper length and wrapping it up with the others.

“Is that why he’s so frightened whenever I ask to drive?” Ryeowook looked thoughtful.

“Yes, he’s afraid you might die,” Sungmin responded. “And afraid he might too,” he added in an undertone. Ryeowook wasn’t listening to him.

“I shouldn’t worry him like that,” Ryeowook decided. “I will drive slowly.”

“Yes and he will probably offer to drive so that you are safe.”

“He is so careful with me,” Ryeowook sighed happily. Sungmin grinned.

“You’re lucky. I need to walk home, that will take forever.”

“No it won’t. I’m going to bring you home,” a familiar voice said. Sungmin looked past Ryeowook to see Kyuhyun walking down an aisle. Sungmin’s heart leapt and he immediately ran to his husband and hugged him.

“Kyuhyun! I didn’t expect you to come here!” Sungmin said happily. Kyuhyun smiled and kissed Sungmin gently.

“I don’t want you walking around at night like this. You might get hurt,” Kyuhyun replied softly. Sungmin felt his heart swell with those words.

“It’s only six o’clock.”

“So? Who know what might happen to you when you’re walking home? It’s dark out.”

“I hate to break up your romantic scene but are you done wrapping the flowers and can we ship them out?” Ryeowook asked, waving a flower stem in their faces. Sungmin smiled and nodded.

“Is Yesung-hyung coming to pick you up, Ryeowook-hyung?” Kyuhyun asked. The eternal magnae nodded.

“Yes, I need to call him and ask him to come for me. He’ll be here in five minutes. I can close the shop, Sungmin-hyung, you don’t need to worry about it,” Ryeowook reassured him. Sungmin glanced at him doubtfully, unsure of whether to leave the youngest alone. Ryeowook’s glance told him that yes, he was okay on his own. Kyuhyun talked to Ryeowook while Sungmin got his things and the two of them left just as Yesung pulled up in his car.

~₴~≠~₴~≠~

Sungmin threw his coat into the closet and picked up the mail that was lying on the floor. He handed a few business letters to Kyuhyun and found an envelope identical to the one he had received the night before.

“Kyuhyun, there’s another letter here like last time,” Sungmin held the envelope out for Kyuhyun to see. The younger male took it and looked over it.

“It looks the same. Let’s open it and see what the message says this time,” Kyuhyun carefully opened the letter. Sungmin leaned over his shoulder to take a look at what was happening.

Badmouth volley vinegar opera disgusting abbreviated an overbeat vendetta fallback. Describe replica wildfire tofu l.

Sungmin was just as confused as the first letter. What sort of nonsense was this? He took the letter from Kyuhyun and scanned it himself, wondering what it could mean.

“So what do you make of it?” He finally asked. Kyuhyun shrugged.

“I think it’s just some crazy person contacting the wrong people. We shouldn’t worry ourselves so much about it,” Kyuhyun replied. Sungmin frowned thoughtfully.

“I wish Hankyung was here. He would be able to figure out what this means. Perhaps we should think like him. Maybe it’s a code. Yeah! We should try and break it! What’s a synonym for badmouth?” Sungmin asked excitedly. Kyuhyun thought for a moment.

“Well to badmouth someone means to speak badly of them, sometimes behind the person’s backs.”

“So backstab. What about volley? Doesn’t that mean to return? Vinegar….bitterness? Opera….is kind of like a show, right? Disgusting also means horrible, or revolting. Abbreviated means shortened and what does overbeat mean? Maybe to hit repeatedly? What’s a vendetta?”

“It’s a war but also can mean a grudge. Fallback……can also mean alternative. To describe means to communicate the description of something. So communicate then? And replica means a copy or imitation. Wildfire can also mean fierce spirit and tofu…is disgusting so disgusting? And L…we can figure that out later. Maybe it’s the signature of the person,” Kyuhyun responded, starting to think about this.

“So the message basically says, backstab return bitterness show horrible or revolting short hit repeatedly grudge alternative communicate imitate fierce spirit disgusting. And how does that make sense anymore than the previous one did?” Sungmin demanded.

“Maybe we have to change the wording or tenses slightly. So then it comes out to, backstabbed returned bitterly shows horribleness or revolted shortness hitting repeatedly grudges communicating imitated fierce spirit disgustingly,” Kyuhyun mused. Sungmin gasped.

“I’ve got it! Backstabbing will be returned bitterly. It shows how horrible you are. You are short and were hit repeatedly. Our grudges will be communicated to you with disgust,” Sungmin looked proud of himself.

“How did you think of that?” Kyuhyun asked.

“I thought of Jiwon and how he would say something like that in a very unclear way. But he’s dead remember? So it must be someone else on the outside. Someone who wants to get me back for putting him into prison and surviving when he didn’t. Maybe it’s one of his loyal followers?” Sungmin questioned. Kyuhyun looked afraid.

“Do you really think so? Minnie, I’m worried for your safety,” Kyuhyun took Sungmin’s smaller hand in his own.

“Don’t worry about me. It will be fine. They obviously just want to scare us by sending letters this way. It will be fine, Kyu. Really,” Sungmin promised. He leaned forwards and pressed a gentle kiss to Kyuhyun’s lips. The younger male leaned into the kiss but didn’t relax. He was too afraid.

“Minnie, I nearly lost you once. I don’t want to lose you again,” Kyuhyun hugged his husband tightly. Sungmin felt the fear Kyuhyun had course through him. He wanted nothing more than to comfort Kyuhyun.

“Kyuhyun, I love you more than anything in this world and I won’t let anything take me from you. I promise you that,” Sungmin whispered.

“I’ll hold you to that,” Kyuhyun murmured, his hot breath blowing against Sungmin’s skin. The elder man felt goosebumps rise. He nuzzled into Kyuhyun gently.

“Don’t be sad, my Kyuhyunnie. Pick me a flower and see if I can guess the meaning.”

It had been a running game since Sungmin had returned home from the hospital five years ago. Kyuhyun would pick a flower from his vast collection and make Sungmin guess the meaning and flower name. They still hadn’t gotten through half of the flowers at all. Now they played the game to cheer each other up and to make the other laugh.

Sungmin sorted through the rest of the mail. It was obvious there was nothing more important. He threw the rest of the bills onto the coffee table in the living room. There was a slight thud as one letter hit the ground. Sungmin sighed and went to pick it up.

He noticed something different about it. It was a completely black envelope with silver lining. Sungmin looked at it carefully. He hadn’t seen it before when he was checking through the rest of the mail. Then again its small size made it hard to see.

He felt a slight twinge of fear as his fingers pried open the letter slowly. There was something about the darkness of the envelope of the letter. He didn’t know why he felt so apprehensive but for some reason, he did.

The silver paper inside did nothing to ease his apprehension. What could possibly be in this letter? It was too fancy to be from an advertising company. So who could it be? His fingers shook slightly as he lifted out the soft silver paper. Something about the material seemed familiar to him.

He unfolded the letter carefully, his gut telling him to run to Kyuhyun and stay there. His heart was pounding and he had no idea why. He swallowed and opened the letter fully. His heart stopped as he read the words on the page.

I am watching you. I know where you live. I will have my revenge. I will not let you get away with what you have done. We are watching you, Sungmin. We know everything. Every move you make. A word of advice: don’t walk down a dark alley alone. You have been told. Now wait for the coming storm.

Sungmin’s breath caught in this throat. He now remembered where he saw this paper before. It used to be on Jiwon’s desk in his office. That meant his gang members had gone into his house and removed whatever the police hadn’t taken. And that meant they were out for revenge.

Sungmin had once seen them in action, taking out a banker who had squealed on them. It wasn’t pretty. He knew that he was their next target. And if he wasn’t careful, Kyuhyun might become one too if he wasn’t already. Sungmin bit his lip. He couldn’t let Kyuhyun know about this.

He stuffed the letter underneath one of the sofa cushions and sat on top of it, trembling. He heart Kyuhyun walking back and immediately arranged his face in a happy expression. He wouldn’t let Kyuhyun know. He felt a fear that he hadn’t felt since Jiwon. His ex was dead right? That meant he either faked his death, his gang members wanted payment for Jiwon’s suffering or….there was someone else in charge. Someone even more dangerous than his predecessor. And this terrified Sungmin most of all. Who could possibly be more treacherous than Jiwon?

~₴~≠~₴~≠~

Chapter 1 When Life Betrays You

Disclaimer: This fanfic is not mine, it's from the author I admire most,http://cosmic-celestia.livejournal.com/9977.html. Thanks for this wonderful fanfic. I copied and pasted it here in my blog so it is easier to load on my iPhone, because my iPhone reallly hates WiFi.

--

The brilliant colours that bloomed around the shop made the large space look exotic and delightful. Sungmin grinned as he stared around the shop. The place was calm at the moment, the time being eight forty-five in the morning and the shop opened at nine.

He enjoyed the beautiful flowers that lined the shelves. He enjoyed the fact that Kyuhyun had picked them out even more. Sungmin breathed in the sweet scent of the air in the shop. He was about to straighten one of the displays when the phone rang.

“Yoboseyo?”

“SUNGMIN! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY FLOWER SHIPMENT?! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE IT TO ME YESTERDAY!”

“G-Dragon, you told me you would come and pick it up yourself,” Sungmin replied patiently. He wondered what sort of crazy response he would get. For the past week, Jiyong had been ordering flowers for KP Productions and continuously forgetting that he said he would pick them up.

“Did I say that?”

“Yes, you did.”

“Well could you deliver them for me? And come and visit? I’m lonely here. Seunghyunnie keeps disappearing on me.”

“That’s because you always tell him to come pick up the flowers you forget about,” Sungmin tried to muffle his laughter. “And you know he won’t refuse you anything.”

“I never knew he was so devoted to me!”

“I worry for your memory,” Sungmin told him. Jiyong laughed on the other side.

“Well anyways, I want to place another order. I forgot about the fifth floor of the building.”

“This is why I worry. But are you really going to pick them up this time?”

“No, this time I’ll get you to deliver. I’m tired of seeing Seunghyun leave all the time and I want you to visit!”

“I’ll do that. What do you want?”

“The sixth floor consists of snapdragons and lilies and the fourth floor is chrysanthemums and hibiscus. So the fifth floor will have to be camellias and…..what do you recommend?”

“Camellias always look good with calla lilies or hydrangeas. Why not one of those?”

“Good idea! Azaleas would look brilliant! I’ll put in an order for two dozen of each flower!”

“……Okaayy…..Two dozen camellias and azaleas. And you want those delivered when?”

“Right away! The fifth floor people, whatever they do, want flowers like the other nineteen floors. Theirs is the only one that doesn’t have anything. The only floor out of twenty, how terrible is that?”

“Utterly devastating, Jiyong, utterly devastating. You’ll get your flowers sometime around noon okay? I’ll see you then. And I’ll probably end up bringing someone with me.”

“Yes, yes, yes. And you must join us for dinner sometime. Seunghyunnie has been teaching me to cook. And you are to be our first taste testers!”

“Sure, I’ll talk to Kyu about it. See you G-Dragon!”

Bye, Sungmin!”

Sungmin smiled as he hung up the phone. Once Jiyong and Seunghyun had gotten married, Jiyong had been determined to become the perfect husband. Seunghyun had tried to tell him once or twice that he was already the perfect husband but had been shut down before he could begin. Therefore, he left Jiyong to his own devices.

Jiyong was still as crazy as ever and Seunghyun was still as nurturing. They made the perfect couple. He heard a knock at the shop door and walked through the jungle of plants. He smiled at Ryeowook who was standing on the other side.

“Hi, Ryeowookie,” Sungmin greeted his friend. “Why do you always come so early? It’s only eight fifty-seven. You’re supposed to come at nine!”

“What if my friend needs help doing something?” Ryeowook responded. Sungmin shrugged.

“What needs to be done at eight fifty-seven?”

“There’s budgeting, watering, stocking the shelves….” Ryeowook continued on in this vein for some time. Sungmin listened for a minute at all the things one could do at eight-fifty nine in the morning. He was about to open his mouth to cut the magnae off but was interrupted by the phone ringing again.

“Yoboseyo?”

“Sungmin-ah.”

“Kyuhyun-ah,” Sungmin replied, his voice becoming soft. Ryeowook smiled to himself. There would never be a time when Sungmin failed to become loving and gentle towards Kyuhyun.

“How’s my Sungminnie? G-Dragon just called me to say that you would be coming to deliver flowers for him. Stop by my office when you come over. But do it before or after three o’clock okay? I have meeting with Seunghyun and Jiyong then. We’re going to discuss the treasury.”

“By discuss you mean talk about random things that have nothing to do with the topic at hand right?”

“Hey, at least we’re actually doing something.”

“Yes, last time you had a popcorn fight. And I wonder how you got the job as treasurer for the company. Aish, am I the only one who actually does work?” Sungmin asked.

“To put it honestly, yes. But at least we get it done….somehow. Anyways, please stop by. Close the shop early and I’ll drive you home okay?”

“Okay, Kyuhyunnie. I’ll see you at four?”

“Earlier?”

“You have a meeting at three and I can’t leave before then.”

“Fine, don’t drop everything and rush to my side.”

“Kyuhyun….”

“Yes, Minnie?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too. I’ll just have to settle for four o’clock then. I miss you, Sungmin.”

“I miss you too. I’ll see you then okay? I love you, Kyuhyun.”

“I love you more.”

Sungmin smiled as he hung up the phone. His feelings towards Kyuhyun hadn’t changed. If anything, they had gotten stronger. He loved the younger male with his whole heart. Now he wouldn’t be able to wait until three forty-five when they closed.

Ryeowook, who had been standing there for the past three minutes, watching the slightly dazed smile on his hyung’s face, waved his hand in front of Sungmin’s eyes. He bit back his laughter when the elder man jumped.

“Now that Kyuhyun has managed to make you act like a complete idiot, can we get on with our work?” Ryeowook asked, barely managing to keep a straight face. Sungmin merely smiled dreamily at him.

“Sure,” Sungmin agreed. The faster he got his work done, the sooner he would close. Or at least until Ryeowook’s cellphone rang and he ended up talking to Yesung for a good forty-five minutes, leaving Sungmin to take care of all the customers and racking up a huge phone bill.

“I’m so glad Kyuhyun decided to open up an actual flower shop. It’s been so long since quality flowers…”

“That boy made the right choice. I hear there’s a chain of them across the country…?”

“He is a wonder, truly…just last week I brought my dying….”

“Does he really? I wonder if he could tell me about this…?”

“Sungmin must have a vast knowledge of botany…don’t you agree?”

For a good portion of the day, Sungmin was answering the calls of customers, taking in sick plants and listening to various compliments of Kyuhyun and himself. Truly, he did not believe he deserved any of these comments; it was all Kyuhyun’s expertise.

In the time between coming home from the hospital and their wedding, Kyuhyun had taught him about the different flowers, their properties and what looked best with them. Sungmin had then persuaded him to open up a flower shop so he could sell what he did best at.

But Kyuhyun was offered a job as the treasurer of KP Productions. So he asked if Sungmin would run the flower shop for him. Sungmin was more than happy to say yes. He loved flowers almost as much as Kyuhyun did.

Sungmin was still in his thoughts when Ryeowook ran out of the back room and screamed. Sungmin jumped into the air, startled by his dongsaeng’s wild entrance

“What is it, Ryeowookie?” Sungmin asked, slightly breathlessly. Ryeowook pointed to the back room and trembled.

“There’s a super large spider there! Go take it away, hyung! I’m afraid of them!” Ryeowook fidgeted nervously while Sungmin smiled patiently. He walked into the back room and picked up the spider, carefully putting it on the windowsill and opening the window so the spider could crawl out.

“There you go. Don’t come back or Ryeowook will squish you and you don’t want that right?” Sungmin whispered to the tiny arachnid.

“All gone, Ryeowook. You can go back now. We need to pack the flowers for Jiyong and Seunghyun. I need you to help me drop them off. Then you can go and see Yesung okay?”

“Sure, hyung. Yesung can survive without me for a few hours,” Ryeowook replied.

“I highly doubt that, Ryeowook. He’s been calling you the entire day,” Sungmin teased lightly. He love the cuteness of his friends. Yesung continuously called Ryeowook to make sure he was okay every single hour. He would have gone crazy if anyone did that to him.

But his and Kyuhyun’s connection was different. They were tied by red thread and Sungmin preferred it that way. He lost himself in his thoughts for the remainder of their packing.

“Okay, let’s take these out to the car and then we can come back in for the last….hyung?” Ryeowook waved a hand in front of Sungmin’s face. He shook his head, sighing. Thinking about Kyuhyun again.

So Ryeowook took the boxes out to the car and was about to drive off when a hand stopped him. He looked to the side to see Sungmin shaking his head.

“Nice try, Wookie but Yesung won’t let you drive, remember?” Sungmin chastised the younger male.

“I don’t understand why,” Ryeowook pouted as he moved for Sungmin to take the wheel.

“You take after Eeteuk-umma when you drive,” Sungmin explained. He earned himself a slap on the arm for that.

“I do not!” Ryeowook protested.

“Yeah you do. But sort of opposite. Where Eeteuk constantly stops and starts, you start and never stop! The last time, you nearly gave Yesung a heart attack when you sped through an intersection at the last possible second!”

“I was saving us time! We had a busy day!”

“You were three hours ahead of schedule!” Sungmin laughed.

“It never hurts to have a bit of extra time right?”

“A bit of extra time to do what? Take Yesung to the hospital after he gets a heart attack?

“You’re mean, hyung!” Ryeowook glared at Sungmin who merely smiled back. He had nothing to worry about, he had learned martial arts. Sungmin pulled into the parking lot of the KP Productions building and unloaded all the flowers.

They staggered into the building, each carrying three boxes of flowers. Sungmin just managed to make it inside the elevator with Ryeowook. They got out on the tenth floor and made their way to Jiyong’s office.

“What the hell is all of that?” A loud voice reverberated through the air.

“It’s your flower shipment,” Sungmin gasped, his arms tiring. He put the boxes on the floor and then helped Ryeowook to do the same.

“Why did you bring so many?” Jiyong asked, coming over to look at them. Seunghyun followed him.

“Because you ordered this many. I really do worry for his memory, Seunghyun. You can go now, Wookie, if you want,” Sungmin breathed a sigh of relief after putting down all the boxes. Ryeowook nodded and practically ran out of the office in order to see Yesung again.

“Okay, I’ll get the fifth floor people to get them and decorate the way they want. Are you going to see Kyuhyun now?” Jiyong asked. Sungmin nodded.

“Did you actually get any work done in your meeting?” Sungmin asked. Seunghyun rolled his eyes.

“Somehow, the work got done fast enough that we were able to have a poker tournament. I think Jiyong wants to kill Kyuhyun for winning. Oh, would you mind taking this to him? It’s Jiyong’s formal declaration for a duel between the two of them for another poker tournament,” Seunghyun smiled at his husband fondly. Jiyong was currently picking the flower petals off a flower.

“I hope he survives,” Sungmin smiled. Seunghyun nodded.

“Maybe this is our chance to finally be free!” Seunghyun cheered. Sungmin laughed.

“I heard that!” Jiyong huffed. Sungmin smiled. He excused himself and made his way to Kyuhyun’s office.

“Kyu?” Sungmin whispered, pushing the door open. He was immediately pulled into a warm hug.

“I missed you, Minnie.”

“I missed you too,” Sungmin whispered. He nuzzled into Kyuhyun, breathing in deeply. All day he had waited for this. His head was tilted back and his lips met Kyuhyun’s a soft gasp building in his throat. He still felt lightheaded whenever Kyuhyun touched him. He never figured out why but he didn’t care.

“I have some interesting news for you,” Kyuhyun murmured, pulling Sungmin into his lap as he worked at his computer. Sungmin leaned against him.

“What is it?”

“They discovered Jiwon’s body today. His cellmate killed him. We don’t know why, it just happened.”

“He finally got what was coming to him. And It brought me to you,” Sungmin smiled.

“Yes, I’m glad for that,” Kyuhyun replied. He kissed the side of Sungmin’s neck and then began to finish his work. The two of them left, talking companionably about how their days went. Kyuhyun felt ecstatic at finally seeing Sungmin again. Even though it had only been a few hours, he still felt worried about his lover, scared that he might vanish again.

The two of them drove home and walked into their apartment. Kyuhyun went to take a shower and Sungmin picked up the envelopes that held their mail. He began sifting through them. A bill here, a letter there, a few from Hankyung and Ryeowook and the last one was a mystery.

It was in a white envelope with a gold seal. There was no return address or even an address to begin with. He had never seen it before. Sungmin looked at it carefully before deciding to open it. His curiosity was immense but he had to ask Kyuhyun if he knew anything about this letter. As he stared at it, the most curious sensation came over him. Something he hadn’t felt in a while.

The feeling of being watched.

~₴~≈~₴~≈~

Chapter 0 (prologue) When Life Betrays You

Disclaimer: This fanfic is not mine, it's from the author I admire most,http://cosmic-celestia.livejournal.com/10200.html. Thanks for this wonderful fanfic. I copied and pasted it here in my blog so it is easier to load on my iPhone, because my iPhone reallly hates WiFi.

--

When Life Betrays You

There is one thing separating humanity from death. A single beat, pulsing away, continuous yet not. The object in question is not large, roughly about the size of one’s fist. It’s a constant drumming, pushing the life liquid on and on and on.

The heart is defined as twelve things. Only two definitions are needed now. First definition: the organ that pumps blood through the body. Second definition: a beloved person. Both can be taken away. It’s utterly ridiculous how easy it is to stop the beat of the heart. The end can be instantaneous or slow. Either one is painful for whoever remains alive to bear the hurt.

The heart is what separates humanity from death. The steady beat in a chest is what keeps us all alive. Funny though, how we can’t hear it. But once that beat stops, life is over and death has claimed another victim. In order to stop a heartbeat, one must end a life.

It takes very little material to end a life. A single silver wire, a knife and a photograph was all it took to end a life that night. Sometimes it gets even simpler. A small sphere of metal discharged into a vital organ at a tremendous speed. Easy, done, over.

It’s a game. The careful stalking of the prey, the meticulous planning of how to attack and then the final, calculated charge that will lead to the kill. Some enjoy it, some abhor it and some turn a blind eye. But there are also those who stop it. And some who die to stop it.

This is a story of ten men, a silver wire, a knife, a photograph and a gun. How they all relate to each other is a different matter entirely. Others come into the tale at different times, misleading, helpful, encouraging and protective but these ten men are the main characters in this story. Well, ten men and four objects.

More objects come into the story but those are the main ones. After all, this isn’t a happy tale. It may have started that way but it takes only the courage of a few brave (dishonourable but brave) souls and the dark danger of the mind to create chaos and havoc.

The human mind is our greatest tool and greatest weapon. By using our thoughts, we can create wonderful ways of healing. But we counteract by creating powerful tools of destruction. Ironic how humanity can kill more than it can save and we were supposed to be the keepers of the planet. But that’s the dark power of the human mind. And sometimes, there is someone who is consumed by it. And that’s where a downfall begins.

~≠~₴~≠~₴~

It was a dark rainy night. He could hear his footsteps on the ground making soft squishing noises. His heart was filled with purpose. He knew that he was doing the right thing. He walked into the dark building. How often he had seen this place before and yet, he never knew what it truly housed. But that wasn’t the point right now. He walked forwards, knowing it would be okay.

He was running, hand in hand with another, trying to find the spark of light, the glimpse of hope that would allow them everything they had ever wanted. It couldn’t happen again. It wouldn’t. He had tried so hard and all of his efforts were wasted. But he couldn’t hate the other. He could only hope that he would be safe.

There was a loud noise and pain erupted through him, all too familiar. It seemed an age since he had felt something like this. His grip weakened and he fell. He heard a soft voice call him and he seemed to spiral into darkness, hearing the voice call to him as he spiralled towards oblivion.

“Sungmin, Sungmin!”

~≠~₴~≠~₴~

Chapter 24/24 FINALE When Life Repays You

Disclaimer: This fanfic is not mine, it's from the author I admire most,http://cosmic-celestia.livejournal.com/9977.html. Thanks for this wonderful fanfic. I copied and pasted it here in my blog so it is easier to load on my iPhone, because my iPhone reallly hates WiFi.

---

When Life Repays You - Epilogue

“Will someone get me more water?” Heechul demanded. Hankyung took it upon himself to get Heechul his drink and left the room. Eeteuk patted Sungmin’s head gently. Then he sat down with Sungmin on the sofa.

“Listen, Minnie-baby, it’s not Kyuhyun’s fault. It just happened okay? There’s nothing that we can do now and it’s best if you let it remain like this,” Eeteuk said, trying to console Sungmin.

“I hate him for this!” Sungmin yelled.

“So I’ve heard but what can you do now? It’s happened. You know Kyuhyun will be heartbroken if you leave him,” Eeteuk replied patiently.

“Well, if Hannie ever did something like that to me, I would castrate him and make him wait on me and answer to my every call and have him do everything for me,” Heechul announced. Sungmin raised an eyebrow.

“Doesn’t he already do that for you?” Sungmin asked, gesturing to Hankyung who had just walked back into the room, holding a glass of water for Heechul. The pretty male grinned.

“True, but he hasn’t been castrated yet,” Heechul smirked. Sungmin rolled his eyes. He turned back to Eeteuk who waved his hand at Heechul and Hankyung.

“Anyways, that’s not the point. The point is that Kyuhyun probably wouldn’t have done anything unless he had a good reason. And whatever that reason may be-” Eeteuk was cut off.

“But he cheated me, Teukie-umma!” Sungmin protested, his eyes narrowing. Eeteuk sighed. In the past seven months, Sungmin had become his old, cheerful and cute self again but now he had been transformed into a vengeful human being.

“Kyuhyun wouldn’t do something like this-” Eeteuk began.

“Well, if you want to get back at him, here’s what you have to do,” Heechul interrupted.

“Maybe this one time, it will be a nice plan,” Hankyung said hopefully.

Eeteuk rolled his eyes. Heechul’s plans were always scary. Of course they were, this was Heechul they were dealing with. Eeteuk only hoped that no one would die. Sungmin nodded at what Heechul was saying and a smile formed on his face. He walked into the washroom and Heechul’s eyes became bright with cunning.

Eeteuk was about to ask what sort of misfortune they would bring upon Kyuhyun but never got the chance. He was interrupted by a knock at the door. Being the closest, Eeteuk walked to the door and opened it.

“I need to see Sungmin.” Kyuhyun tried to get into the room.

“I’m sorry, he doesn’t have an appointment with you right now. You can’t see him. Goodbye,” Heechul rushed to the door and pushed Kyuhyun away before slamming the door shut. He pressed his ear to the door and listened to him babbling to Kangin about needing to see Sungmin and Kangin’s patient response of, “NO”.

“What happened?” Sungmin asked, coming out of the washroom. Heechul and Eeteuk smiled at him.

“Absolutely nothing,” Heechul replied. Sungmin shrugged and sat down. He was still seething slightly. The thought of Kyuhyun made him angry. He would have spent a whole day cursing Kyuhyun’s name if that didn’t make him feel half sick to his stomach.

Instead, he sat there and listened to Eeteuk talk about a bunch of random things. Heechul was brushing his hair and it made him feel better. At least he had his family. For the next few minutes, the three of them talked (well rather Heechul poured his opinions on them and they listened) until Eeteuk jumped up and gasped loudly.

“What is it, Teukie-umma?” Sungmin asked.

“We’re five minutes behind schedule! Heechul, hurry up! We have to leave!” Eeteuk motioned wildly. Heechul nodded.

“Hannie!” Heechul commanded, holding out his hand. A brush was placed into his palm.

“Hannie!” Heechul ordered again. This time a comb was put into his hand.

“Hannie! Hannie! Hannie! Hannie!” The name was repeated so many times that Sungmin vowed never to call Hankyung, ‘Hannie’, as long as he lived.

Heechul finished with Sungmin and beamed at his work.

“Kyuhyun will eat his heart out,” Heechul stated, satisfied. Sungmin felt afraid. What had Heechul done to him?

“That looks great,” Eeteuk said approvingly.

“I don’t know why we had to go to so much trouble. After all, it’s-”

“Yes, I like to think that Sungmin is my masterpiece. It’s a job well done right?” Heechul interrupted.

“I agree. That looks great. Go become a hairstylist,” Eeteuk complimented him.

“Thank you, umma. Now, Sungmin don’t you dare mess your hair up!” Heechul commanded.

“You really don’t want to. The last time he did my hair and I made it a mess, I nearly lost my life,” Hankyung explained.

“I’ll try not to. Thanks hyung!” Sungmin wrapped his arms around Eeteuk, Heechul and Hankyung, pulling them all into a group hug.

“We should go,” Eeteuk pointed to the clock.

“It serves him right if we’re late.”

“He’ll panic and turn the building upside down looking for you!” Heechul smiled.

“That’s why I’m agreeing to this. If it wasn’t such a nice place, I’d let Kyuhyun go on a rampage here. But I’m feeling happy,” Sungmin beamed.

“That’s good; you deserve to be happy after all that you’ve gone through. So smile!” Hankyung instructed.

Sungmin nodded.

“Alright, let’s get moving people. We don’t have all day!” Eeteuk motioned for the group to start moving. The four of them walked out of the room. Eeteuk had a firm grip on Sungmin’s arm as if he were afraid that the younger man would run away at the first opportunity.

“I’m not going to leave him you know,” Sungmin said softly, noticing the tense expression Eeteuk was wearing.

“I know you aren’t. But I know he thinks you are. And he’s terrified. So if we’re late, we’ll end up making him panic,” Eeteuk tugged him through a hallway and another door.

“I love him too much to do that,” Sungmin whispered.

“We’ll see you later. Don’t mess up your hair. I don’t want my labour wasted,” Heechul ordered.

“You’ll be fine,” Hankyung smiled. The two of them disappeared down another hallway.

“Come on. It’s time. We just made it,” Eeteuk smiled in relief. Sungmin took a deep breath. Behind this door were Kyuhyun and the answer for the injustice done to him. Eeteuk pushed open the door and the two of them walked forward.

Sungmin could see Kyuhyun at the end of the large room. His heart sped up. When Kyuhyun turned towards him, Sungmin’s throat closed when he saw the look of utter love and devotion in Kyuhyun’s dark eyes, he forgot his anger. Instead he started moving faster, leaving Eeteuk slightly behind.

He got to where Kyuhyun was standing and stared up at him. The younger male smiled and nobody had ever seen Kyuhyun smile like that. It was as though he had just discovered heaven and it was better than he had ever imagined.

Sungmin smiled shyly and his large doe eyes met Kyuhyun’s and he felt like he was about explode with happiness. He was about to pucker his lips and blow a little kiss to Kyuhyun when something white blew into his field of vision thanks to an open window. And his anger returned to him.

“We are gathered here today…” the preacher in front of the both of them began to talk, causing the attention to be drawn to him. Sungmin ignored the guy for the time being.

“I can’t believe you did this to me. Why did you betray me like this?” Sungmin demanded. Kyuhyun looked apologetic.

“I’m sorry, I had no choice. Did you want me to be dragged back home?” Kyuhyun responded. Sungmin glared at him.

“Is that supposed to make me feel guilty?” Sungmin hissed.

“No, I’m not. But I really am sorr-”

“I don’t care, Cho Kyuhyun! I feel so degraded right now!” Sungmin pouted and crossed his arms. Kyuhyun longed to hug him and make him feel better but he couldn’t.

“Their devotion to each other surpasses that of…..” the preacher continued.

“You made me look like a girl! I’m wearing a tiara…..thing…..a long frilly, lacy veil, these white gloves, makeup and lipgloss! I want to look manly! I hate it when I’m made to look like a girl!” Sungmin huffed.

“I’m so sorry, Minnie. But I had no choice. It was either that or lose you forever. My mom threatened to force me to marry the girl I was supposed to if you didn’t look like a girl. She wants to tell everyone that I had a pretty bride,” Kyuhyun explained. Sungmin’s eyes narrowed.

“So you’d choose what your mom wants over me? And what the hell is your mom doing here anyway? I thought she disowned you.”

“Sungmin, I would never willingly choose what anyone wants over what you want. I promise you that. My mom is here because she heard I was getting married and because I’m her only son, she wanted to be here, disregarding the discrepancies we’ve had in the past.”

“Through sickness and strife, disaster and trouble, they will remain faithful….” The preacher droned on.

“You didn’t have to go behind my back! This isn’t about clothing anymore, it’s about the fact that you went behind my back to do this. If you had explained the situation to me, I would have accepted it! I would have gotten something that you and I liked and then I wouldn’t have felt betrayed!” Sungmin retorted.

“I’m sorry, Sungmin.”

“You should be!” Sungmin turned his head to the preacher who was finally coming to a close in his speech.

“I’m really sorry,” Kyuhyun would continue to apologize endlessly for the rest of his life if Sungmin wanted it.

“Do you, Cho Kyuhyun, take Lee Sungmin…….” the preacher continued.

“Promise not to do anything like this again and actually talk to me?” Sungmin asked softly.

“…to be your lawfully wedded husband for as long as you both shall live?” The preacher finished.

“I do,” Kyuhyun said, responding to both questions at once. Sungmin smiled.

“Then do you, Lee Sungmin, take Cho Kyuhyun to be your-”

“I do,” Sungmin’s eyes went soft as he accepted Kyuhyun’s apology.

“If anyone has any reason at all to object to this matrimony, please bring those objections forwards.”

Sungmin listened with anticipation for any objections that might be flung their way. For a minute, there was only silence.

“I OBJECT!” The yell shattered the silence and a few of the guests covered their ears. Kyuhyun, who had expected his mother to object, was surprised. It wasn’t his mother at all. In fact, his mother had fallen asleep but the person who had yelled startled him out of his anger for his mother’s rudeness. It was Heechul who had screamed.

Eeteuk stared at Heechul in disbelief and tried to tug him down onto his chair. Heechul swatted his hands away and continued to stare at the front of the room. Hankyung put his head in his hands. Why, why, why was he subjected to be part of this? Well, at least he would be liked.

“On what grounds do you state this objection?” The preacher asked.

“Well,” Heechul began, a smirk breaking out on his face, “Sungmin has been subjected to the injustice of being forced to wear clothes he doesn’t want to wear. I don’t want him to be married to someone who forces him to wear clothes he doesn’t want to.”

It was his cue. Hankyung stood up and put a hand on Heechul’s shoulder.

“Kyuhyun sincerely apologizes for this and he will not do this to our Sungmin again,” Hankyung said. However, due to his accent, nobody understood what he was saying except for their friends.

“He better hold true to that promise,” Heechul grinned before sitting down. G-Dragon, who was sitting in the second row, had stuffed his program in his face to muffle his laughter. Seunghyun was coughing in order to disguise his laughter.

The rest of the guests had no idea what was going on except that the matter was resolved in a weird and confusing way. The preacher shrugged. He wasn’t going to interfere.

“If nobody else has any objections, I now pronounce you husband and husband,” the preacher said.

Sungmin turned to Kyuhyun and his lips were captured in Kyuhyun’s. He felt warmth spread through him and through his daze of love, he heard the congregation cheering loudly. Kyuhyun pressed a little harder and Sungmin kissed back eagerly, opening his mouth and allowing Kyuhyun entrance.

Seungri, Yesung, G-Dragon and Kangin were catcalling and letting out loud wolf whistles. Eeteuk had burst into happy tears and was hugging Ryeowook who was cheering wildly. The rings on Sungmin and Kyuhyun’s fingers now matched their friends’.

Taeyang gave them a standing ovation and Kibum was smiling wildly. Heechul was clapping, looking entirely proud of himself as the two of them walked down the aisle. Sungmin didn’t know if he could get any happier.

He broke the kiss with Kyuhyun and smiled at him.

“Did you have that objection planned from the start?” Kyuhyun asked, his breath brushing over Sungmin’s ear.

“I just had to be sure you really wouldn’t do something like that again,” Sungmin smiled sweetly.

~₪~₪~₪~₪~

Sungmin stared at Kyuhyun who smiled back. He took his husband’s hand and held onto him tightly.

“Close your eyes, Minnie. I want you to be surprised,” Kyuhyun whispered. Sungmin was confused but obeyed the command. He allowed himself to be led away.

“You should have used a blindfold,” Eunhyuk said. He was hit on the head by Heechul.

“Yah, let them do what they want!” Heechul stated. They followed the couple closely, waiting in anticipation to see the response to their efforts.

“Okay, open your eyes,” Kyuhyun murmured. He stepped away to let Sungmin see what his friends had done for him.

Sungmin’s eyelids fluttered and then opened. He gasped. In the venue where Hankyung worked (where Eeteuk and Ryeowook had also gotten married) a transformation had been brought about.

The tablecloths were a bright, clean white with vases of flowers consisting of the ones Kyuhyun used to confess to him. Leaning against those vases, a pink stuffed bunny rested on each table as the centerpiece. Sungmin felt happy tears start.

At the head table, a pink tablecloth covered the long table. A large white bunny was sitting at the edge of the table with a large ‘S’ embroidered on the stomach. He was surrounded by at least six dozen red roses. Sungmin laughed in delight and hugged Kyuhyun tightly.

“Thank you so much!” Sungmin wiped his tears.

“Congratulations on your marriage!” His friends yelled all around him. The reception began and Sungmin felt his heart grow with love for all of his friends and especially for Kyuhyun. He watched as the band began to play and Eunhyuk tugged Donghae onto the dance floor with him.

The two immediately began to dance and Eeteuk and Kangin joined them. Sungmin clapped witth amusement. He enjoyed the antics of his friends.

They paused when the doors of the reception hall opened and a cake was wheeled into the room. Shindong was pushing the cart and grinning widely. The cake itself was a masterpiece. It was five layers tall and little pink and white rabbits were made out of sugar and placed around each layer. Small butterflies spun from chocolate decorated the base.

Sungmin felt tears begin all over again and he thanked his friend countless times. Leave it to his friends to find him a truly superb baker. Kyuhyun handed him a rose and turned a vase slightly to show Sungmin words written on the side. Siwon’s Flower Emporium was written in silver letters.

Just then, Siwon himself walked into the hall bowed to Sungmin and Kyuhyun. Sungmin jumped up from the table and ran over to hug his two friends. He was so utterly happy he couldn’t express his happiness.

It touched him that his family would go to such lengths. He went back to Kyuhyun and kissed him softly.

“I love you, Kyu,” Sungmin whispered.

“I love you too, Minnie,” Kyuhyun responded. Sungmin smiled. He was ready for whatever life had to throw his way next. He had Kyuhyun. And that was all he needed.

Chapter 23/24 When Life Repays You

Disclaimer: This fanfic is not mine, it's from the author I admire most,http://cosmic-celestia.livejournal.com/8957.html. Thanks for this wonderful fanfic. I copied and pasted it here in my blog so it is easier to load on my iPhone, because my iPhone reallly hates WiFi.

---

Kyuhyun lay there lethargically, no motivation to get up. His body ached from crying. It had been two weeks and he had barely moved at all from his bed. His motivation was Sungmin. And he was gone. Eeteuk had been coming by to make sure he didn’t die of hunger or thirst. Kyuhyun didn’t care what happened to him. His memories were still haunted by Sungmin.

For two weeks, Kyuhyun had cried constantly, longing, wanting, needing Sungmin. He wanted to turn time back and not leave Sungmin alone. He wanted to return to the past and take Sungmin to work with him. Anything to change the outcome of the story.

Kyuhyun bit his lip as fresh sobs erupted from his body. It hurt. It hurt so badly. He wished he could see Sungmin just one last time. Just one more time.

How did anyone deal with loss? It was utterly painful and Kyuhyun didn’t think he would ever be able to get over this. His hyung had become the single, most important thing in his life. How could he go on, without his other half?

He couldn’t believe how unfair life was. Sungmin didn’t deserve death. He shouldn’t have died. But the minute Jiwon kidnapped him, put the collar around his neck and tortured him, the tables turned and suddenly, Sungmin’s life had been in the hands of the most dangerous person possible.

His body told him that he was hungry but his mind ignored the calls for food. He didn’t want to eat, he didn’t want to do anything but hold Sungmin. His very soul hurt. It was as if someone had taken a knife and cut his very spirit in half. How would he ever manage to get that half back?

~₪~₪~₪~₪~

Darkness surrounds you. Carrying you back to where you came from. To where it all began. It’s cold. It’s dark. It’s nothing. But you can’t go. There’s something deeper, something stronger, tying you down. And the darkness pulls harder, insisting you come.

But there’s a line. A thin, strong scarlet line.

~₪~₪~₪~₪~

Kyuhyun wanted to die. He wasn’t being dramatic or depressed. It was just how he felt after losing the one he loved so dearly. He hadn’t even bothered answering the phone or the door and felt that at some point, someone would use the spare key from the janitor and break into his apartment to see if he was still alive.

Kyuhyun didn’t care. He moved one of his legs slightly, hoping to get the pins and needles out of his immobile limb. Sungmin was all he could think about. His shy, sweet smile, his delicate features, his cute expressions and the tentative trust he had just started to build. But most of all, Kyuhyun remembered his strength and his ability to keep holding on.

He almost choked as he tried to keep his sobs from rising from his throat. How was it that he was reduced to this pathetic living thing when someone who he has known for a month has now died? It was ridiculous.

But Sungmin wasn’t just anyone. He was Kyuhyun’s soul and Kyuhyun wanted him back so badly. He would give his own life if it brought his Sungmin back. Kyuhyun raised his eyes and looked at the flowers of his room.

The alium and the caper seemed to stand out above the rest. Ironically, the two of them were thriving. Kyuhyun felt as though they were mocking him. He wiped away a few tears that were beginning to start. He curled into a tighter ball and tried to ignore the wave of pain rising in his chest. Why did it have to hurt so badly?

He heard his phone ring. He ignored it. There was no point. What could possibly make him happy right now? He wouldn’t care if it was his mom asking him forgiveness, he wouldn’t care if a local TV show was calling him to tell him he had won a million dollars, he wouldn’t even care if it was Jiyong asking him to come visit.

The phone rang again and again. He didn’t move. The space beside him was too empty. It needed to be filled by someone. Sungmin. The only one who could possibly fill the space beside him. The phone stopped ringing. Kyuhyun vaguely noted the sharp cut off of the sound.

It was somewhat like Sungmin. His life had been cut like that. Sharp, quickly, unmercifully. It was sickening. He hated, hated, hated this. His hands crushed the sheets as his body tightened in anger. His anger towards Sungmin’s killer was strong and he didn’t think he’d ever be able to let it go.

A knock sounded on the door. Kyuhyun paid no attention to it as he had all other things that disturbed him from his sorrow and guilt. Why hadn’t he known what those feelings were? Why hadn’t he taken Sungmin with him? Why hadn’t he stayed home? Why…why….why….

The knocking continued, drumming a continuous pattern that at one time might have drivek Kyuhyun crazy. Now he just lay there, oblivious to everything and anything. The knocks started getting faster and louder. Kyuhyun didn’t move. Finally, the sounds stopped.

Kyuhyun was glad. Now he could grieve in silence. This, however, was never to be. A few minutes after, there was the click of a key in the lock and then a bang as his apartment door swung open and crashed into the wall behind it.

“Honestly, why isn’t he answering the door? Oh, I forgot how pretty his house is!” Eeteuk’s voice broke the silence.

“Umma, where is he? Do you think he could have gone out?” Ryeowook’s voice sounded.

“Not at all. Come on, let’s check the place. Yesung…Yesung, where are you?!” Eeteuk asked.

“I’m over here. There’s a sign that says ‘Sungmin’s Garden’,” Yesung was added to the conversation.

“Sungmin…”

“Get a hold of yourself, Ryeowook. We need to be strong.” If Eeteuk had broken the silence, Heechul shattered it.

“Shh, he might be sleeping. No he’s not in this room. And what about…? Oh this is the washroom. Let’s check the last door. If he’s not there, we’ll wait for him,” Eeteuk sounded close to his room. Kyuhyun debated locking the door but that would mean moving and Kyuhyun just wanted to lie in sadness. The doorknob turned and Eeteuk, Heechul, Yesung and Ryeowook marched into the room.

“This is even prettier than the living room!” Eeteuk squealed. He immediately rushed over and began looking at the plants. Ryeowook shook his head. Instead of squealing over the flowers, he walked to Kyuhyun’s side and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Kyuhyun?” Ryeowook whispered. Kyuhyun made no response. He stared lifelessly into space. Ryeowook nudged him. “Oh, Kyu. It was hard on all of us. But we must be strong. It’s what Sungmin would want, isn’t it?”

“How do we know that? He’s…..” Kyuhyun could not bring himself to say the word ‘dead’. His body shuddered as he struggled to keep in painful sobs.

“Oh, Kyu-baby,” Eeteuk soothed, walking over and stroking Kyuhyun’s hair gently, wanting to calm him down.

“I love him so much, Eeteuk,” Kyuhyun whispered, tears falling from his eyes. The eldest male gently brushed the youngest man’s tears away. He felt his heart go out to Kyuhyun. No doubt he would be worse if he lost Kangin like this.

“I know. But we’ve come here because we want you to be strong. And we want you to see somebody,” Eeteuk explained gently. Kyuhyun turned and looked at them all.

“Where’s Kangin, Hankyung, Donghae and Eunhyuk?” Kyuhyun asked, not bothering to respond to Eeteuk’s statement.

“They’re at the hospital,” Heechul answered.

“Why?”

“Jiyong’s hurt,” Yesung interrupted. Heechul glared at him and was about to bite his head off for interrupting but Eeteuk beat him to it.

“He’s hurt,” Eeteuk explained. Kyuhyun felt another stab of pain enter him. So was everyone to die before him? Who was next? Eeteuk? Seunghyun? Ryeowook?

“So why does he want me there? I’ve already lost my life.”

“You won’t see your friend? You won’t see Jiyong?” Eeteuk asked.

“I’ve lost so much. Do I need to lose more?” Kyuhyun asked. Heechul exploded.

“WHAT, ARE YOU THE ONLY ONE WHO CARED ABOUT SUNGMIN?! DID YOU THINK THAT HIS DEATH DIDN’T AFFECT US AS WELL? YOU THINK THAT YOU SUFFERED MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE? WE KNEW HIM FOR A LONG TIME, YOU KNEW HIM FOR A MONTH! WE WERE AFFECTED TOO! DON’T THINK YOU’RE THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN THE WORLD, KYUHYUN! THAT SPOT IS ALREADY TAKEN BY ME AND AT LEAST I KNOW WHAT OTHERS FEEL!” Heechul yelled.

With a speed nobody knew he had, Heechul had crossed the room, thrown Eeteuk to the side and with surprising strength, pulled Kyuhyun out of the bed and dragged him across the floor. Ryeowook stared at him. It took Eeteuk a full ten seconds to realize what had just happened before he leaped up and stopped Heechul.

The umma helped Kyuhyun to his feet.

“He’s coming. He hasn’t moved in two weeks remember? He needs time,” Eeteuk took one of Kyuhyun’s arms and walked him out of the room.

“As much as I care for Jiyong, I really have no desire to go see anyone. Give him my best,” Kyuhyun protested weakly. His voice was hoarse after two weeks of barely using it. His reluctance was understandable but Heechul showed no mercy.

“I don’t care. How would you feel if Jiyong died and you wouldn’t talk to him?” Heechul asked, pushing Kyuhyun out the door.

“A lot better than I do now,” Kyuhyun replied, feeling slightly annoyed.

“I wonder what Sungmin saw in you. You’re so selfish!” Heechul snapped. Kyuhyun lost it.

“HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY UNDERSTAND? WHAT IF SOMEONE LIKE JIWON KILLED HANKYUNG? YOU WOULD BE FEELING DIFFERENTLY THEN!” Kyuhyun shouted. Heechul stopped and stared at him.

“You’re right. I would be like you. But I would get up and go on with my life. Because that’s what Hannie would want me to do. Think about what Sungmin would want. Do you think he would like it if he knew you were wasting your life?” Heechul asked, his eyes losing their fire and becoming understanding despite the harsh expression he had.

Kyuhyun hadn’t thought of it like that. Was he hurting Sungmin even more by giving up his life? He went limp and allowed himself to be led out of the apartment, thinking about Sungmin and what he would want.

The four of them arrived at the hospital before Kyuhyun realized that he had no idea how Jiyong had gotten hurt. He didn’t want to appear uncaring.

“Why is Jiyong in the hospital?” Kyuhyun asked.

“Sorry, what?” Eeteuk asked, motioned for Yesung and Ryeowook to hurry up and smiling at their entwined hands.

“I asked why Jiyong was in the hospital.”

“He’s very hurt,” Eeteuk said absently, herding Heechul, Yesung and Ryeowook along a corridor and tugging Kyuhyun along behind.

“I know that but why? I don’t want to seem like I don’t care,” Kyuhyun replied, feeling slightly guilty for not being very considerate about his friend. The five of them stopped at a door.

“I’m very hurt,” a loud voice said from inside the room. Kyuhyun looked at the hospital door. Jiyong flung it open and marched out. “Yes, I am very hurt.”

Jiyong glared at Kyuhyun and poked him in the shoulder. Kyuhyun was confused. Jiyong looked fine. He was in fact, wearing tight jeans with a leopard print shirt and a bandana around his neck. He looked very stylish and not injured or sick in anyway at all. And this perplexed Kyuhyun beyond belief.

“Why are you so hurt?” Kyuhyun asked. “You look fine.”

Kangin came out of the room followed by Hankyung. The two of them looked at Kyuhyun and then Jiyong.

“What are you doing?” Kangin asked, pushing Jiyong slightly.

“Kyuhyun, this may be a bit of a shock,” Hankyung said softly, ignoring the pushing fest going on between Kangin and Jiyong.

“Is it Seunghyun?” Kyuhyun asked. He felt his knees grow weak, something was wrong. There was something about Kangin and Hankyung’s actions that made him feel unnerved.

“Let him see for himself,” Eeteuk said, pushing Kyuhyun forwards and following closely behind. The younger male walked forward hesitantly. His heart started pounding. His throat closed. What was happening to him? Was it one of his family members?

“Don’t be afraid. He won’t bite you,” Jiyong smiled also trailing after them. Kyuhyun wondered what was wrong with Seunghyun that warranted him to be chaperoned. Was there something that the elder male wanted to say to him? Was he angry with him for not being able to take care of Sungmin?

He walked into the room. The room was white. The breeze flowing into the room made him feel cold. The white curtains billowed from the windows and the white bedsheets on the bed turned the room into a white oasis.

“Where were you, Kyuhyun? I’ve been waiting for you.”

Kyuhyun turned towards the source of the voice. He felt faint at the look of the elder male. He stared. It wasn’t possible. But it was. Nobody rises from the dead. But someone had. Sungmin was lying in the bed, staring at Kyuhyun with all the love in the world.

He blinked. Then his eyes filled with tears. Different tears. His heart began pounding extremely fast, his body shook and his soul reawakened and called for the male lying in the bed. Kyuhyun tried to breathe but found the task next to impossible.

“I’m hurt that you weren’t here for Sungmin when he needed you,” Jiyong tried to sound angry but his eyes and voice betrayed his true feelings. He held his hand out as if inviting Kyuhyun to check and see if it was the real person.

Kyuhyun moved slowly, as if he were in water. He was so afraid that this was a dream. That he would wake up and find that he was alone. Sungmin’s arms and a cut across his forehead were stitched. But none of that mattered to Kyuhyun. He was still the most beautiful thing Kyuhyun had ever seen. He stopped at Sungmin’s bedside.

“Hello, Kyuhyun-ah. Did you miss me?” Sungmin whispered. Kyuhyun swallowed. His heart was pounding and his breath caught in his throat as his hand reached forwards to his hyung. Sungmin closed his eyes when Kyuhyun’s fingertips touched his skin.

“Sungmin?” Kyuhyun breathed. The elder male nodded and Kyuhyun was crying again. But the tears were different this time. Sungmin opened his arms and pulled Kyuhyun onto the bed with him. The younger male’s tears soaked the material of his hospital gown but Sungmin didn’t care.

Kyuhyun buried his face in Sungmin’s neck, so happy that his lover was alive. He thanked the gods when he heard the firm, strong heartbeat in Sungmin’s chest. His soft cries were grateful and loving at the same time.

“Shh, Kyu. I’m here,” Sungmin murmured. Kyuhyun’s muffled sobs echoed in the room. Eeteuk wiped his eyes and Kangin took him out of the room to calm him. A slightly teary-eyed Heechul motioned for the others to follow, leaving the two alone.

“Sungmin….Minnie….I was……you were dead and I…..I love you…..I love you,” Kyuhyun couldn’t get a coherent sentence out. He was too overwhelmed with emotion to speak properly. Sungmin felt tears of his own start and he kissed Kyuhyun’s shoulder, hoping to soothe him.

Kyuhyun wrapped his arms around Sungmin and held him tightly, not wanting to ever let him go again. Sungmin stroked Kyuhyun’s hair and bit his lip, trying to fight the tears that were making their way down his cheeks.

“I love you too, Kyuhyun,” Sungmin whispered. “I will always, always love you.”

“Don’t you dare leave me. I will never let you go again. Don’t even try to leave,” Kyuhyun murmured fiercely. He pulled back and pressed his forehead gently to Sungmin’s feeling the rough stitches against his skin.

“I love you, Kyuhyun,” Sungmin responded. Kyuhyun lifted his head and stared into Sungmin’s eyes. There was something different about the elder male. Then he realized what it was. Sungmin’s eyes were brighter, clearer and more open.

“You’re different,” Kyuhyun observed quietly. Sungmin nodded, pleased that Kyuhyun had noticed.

“I am. I’m not the same person anymore, Kyu,” Sungmin replied.

“What do you mean?” Kyuhyun asked. He let his head rest on Sungmin’s shoulder and he curled as close to Sungmin as physically possible.

“I’m no longer bound to Jiwon. I’m no longer haunted by him. I’m free,” Sungmin smiled. Kyuhyun turned his head upwards and kissed the underside of his jaw gently. He felt as though life had begun again. He would never let Sungmin leave like he did again. Silently, he promised both of them this.

~₪~₪~₪~₪~

For three months, Sungmin remained in the hospital. While he was recovering from his wounds, the doctors discovered old ones that could pose potential problems. Sungmin was wheeled six times in and out of surgery, each time, Kyuhyun was terrified he would never see Sungmin again.

The doctors all agreed that by all counts, he should be dead. The wound on his side and the amount of blood he lost all pointed to loss of life. But somehow, Sungmin had clawed his way back to life.

He had flat lined two hours and forty-five minutes after he had been brought into the emergency room. The surgeon had managed to bring him back but then lost him again. They gave him up and yet somehow, he stayed alive.

Kyuhyun didn’t care what the doctors said. He was just glad to have Sungmin back in his life. Every day he visited Sungmin at the hospital where he was recovering quickly. Sometimes, Eeteuk, Kangin, Yesung, Ryeowook, Heechul and Hankyung visited him and sometimes it was Jiyong and Seunghyun.

One time, Kyuhyun had brought Siwon and Shindong. Sungmin had thanked him countless times for this and Kyuhyun loved seeing Sungmin so happy. He enjoyed listening to Siwon talk about his religion and Shindong talk about his bakery.

But Kyuhyun loved it when it was just the two of them, talking softly about their memories, their plans for the future and what was happening in the outside world. Eeteuk and Kangin were married in the second month of Sungmin’s hospital stay.

Despite the doctor’s warnings, he went to the wedding and made Eeteuk cry with his speech of thanks to the elder male and Kangin grinned proudly when Sungmin mentioned his careful care of Eeteuk and his wishes for their eternal happiness.

Because of that, he caught a cold that had him in a delirious fever for a week. The sickness caused Kyuhyun to become a nervous wreck whenever Sungmin began to cough. For the remainder of his stay at the hospital, Eeteuk would always come or phone to apologize endlessly for being the cause of his fever.

Kyuhyun brought him news of the trial against Jiwon. The man had been found guilty for drug trafficking, abuse, illegal possession of firearms and the head of a dangerous organization dedicated to the general harassment of the public (the charge of murder had been dropped as Sungmin did not die).

The police had searched his house and found many documents that they expected to lead to many more arrests. Jiwon was put on trial and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole. The second in command, Taekyung was also arrested and within four weeks of his stay in prison, he was strangled to death by his cellmate.

The man named Kim Seunghae was found dead in a ditch five days after the arrest of Taekyung. Apparently, he was on the watch list of Jiwon for quite some time and he was caught smuggling one of their enemies out of the country. He was brought to a forest and was shot through the head.

Sungmin didn’t care about Jiwon. He was free of him and felt that he deserved what he was getting. He only wished that Jiwon had made some better choices in his life. But Kyuhyun made him feel loved and better than Jiwon had ever made him feel. And he loved Kyuhyun with his whole heart.

~₪~₪~₪~₪~

Sungmin was feeling great. He was going home. He wanted to be with Kyuhyun again. He had had enough of the hospital life. He had made the decision to keep living with Kyuhyun despite what had happened. He loved him too much to leave.

“Are you ready?” Kyuhyun asked, a brilliant smile on his face. Sungmin nodded eagerly and took Kyuhyun’s hand as he was led out of the hospital room. They made a quick stop at the desk to fill out some forms and then Kyuhyun was leading Sungmin into his car.

“I wish I didn’t have to go back for more checkups,” Sungmin complained good-naturedly. He grinned as they drove along the roads of Seoul.

“Minnie, those checkups are made so that the doctors can be sure you’re healing properly,” Kyuhyun answered patiently.

“I know but I wish I didn’t have them.”

The two of them pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex. Sungmin was practically bouncing with excitement. He wanted to see how his garden was doing. As the two of them stepped out of the elevator, a thought struck Sungmin and he stopped walking. Kyuhyun looked at him quizzically.

“Kyuhyun….when you heard I died….what did you feel?” Sungmin asked. Kyuhyun raised his eyebrows but he answered his lover.

“I thought I would die. I wanted to die. You are my other half, Sungmin-ah. I never want to be without you,” Kyuhyun bent his head and kissed Sungmin gently. The elder male smiled and laced his fingers with Kyuhyun’s.

The two of them walked into the apartment and were greeted with a fanfare of cheers, loud noises and hugs.

“Welcome home, Sungmin-baby!” Eeteuk hugged his child tightly. Kangin ruffled his hair and Ryeowook enclosed him in a hug next. Donghae and Eunhyuk squished him between the two and Kyuhyun had to rescue him by tempting the two with food. Heechul greeted him with a hello and a question as to why his hair wasn’t as well conditioned as it was before and an offer to give him tips on how to condition well.

Hankyung squeezed him tightly and Sungmin had to poke him numerous times to remind him that he was still recovering slightly. Yesung practically bowled him over by his loud hello and his forceful hug. Kibum was much more reserved and slung an arm around Sungmin’s neck, congratulating him on his return home.

Ryeowook brought out a pumpkin pie for Sungmin and Kyuhyun smiled at the entire family he had managed to acquire. In a strange way, he was slightly grateful to Jiwon. He had brought all of them together through his treatment of Sungmin. But the cons outweighed the pros and Kyuhyun couldn’t like Jiwon anymore than he liked the idea of Sungmin leaving him.

Through the noise and playfulness of the party, Kyuhyun managed to slip into his room and get the present he had been saving for this day. As he walked back out, Kyuhyun heard Sungmin expressing his delight at how much his garden had begun to grow.

Kyuhyun smiled. Throughout the three months of Sungmin’s recovery, the plants had been growing steadily, tended to by all members of Sungmin’s family. The alium and caper had grown entwined with one another and after seeing them, Eeteuk had declared it a sign of fate that they were meant to be together.

Walking into the circle, he made his way to Sungmin and took him aside. He kissed the elder male softly and held him close. Sungmin smiled and relished the feeling of Kyuhyun so near to him.

“Sungmin, I love you more than the world could ever know. I love you more than I love life itself. I love you more than any word, flower, action, or declaration could say. You mean so much to me, my soul mate, my other half. You are the reason I live,” Kyuhyun took a deep breath and bent his right leg and went down on one knee.

“Kyuhyun…” Sungmin half gasped, half whispered. He didn’t notice everyone looking at them and stifling their words with their hands. Only he and Kyuhyun existed. Kyuhyun opened the box and a delicate, gold ring shone inside.

“I could never tell you how much I love you because there is no way to express it fully. The red thread that connects us does so for a reason and I have no idea what I’ve done to deserve you. I want to make you happy, I want to give you comfort, anything, everything that you could possibly desire. I love you so, so much, Minnie….will you marry me?”

Time itself stopped. There was nothing Sungmin could do but cry and nod. As the others began to cheer around them and they realized that they weren’t alone, Kyuhyun slipped the ring on Sungmin’s finger.

“I love you too, Kyu,” Sungmin beamed up at him with teary eyes.

“Nan nikkeoya, neon naekkeoya,” Kyuhyun whispered. Sungmin nodded. I’m yours and you’re mine. That’s the way it should always be.

The two of them could see their future together, a open, bright road for Sungmin to heal and Kyuhyun to heal him. Their future spanned a great wide vista of possibility and happiness. And Sungmin wouldn’t want it any other way because that’s what happens when life repays you.

~₪~₪~₪~₪~