Super Junior: the beautiful ordinary (1/2)
Title: the beautiful ordinary: catalogues of a heartbreak
Author: papered
Fandom: Super Junior
Characters/Pairings: Kibum, Kihae
Rating: PG
Word Count: 2618
Summary: corporate!AU. In which Kibum and Donghae are the sons of the heads of rival companies, and nothing works out easily for them.
Notes: Not sure where this came from exactly, and certainly didn't expect this to get over 1000 words, but here it is anyway. This is part one. There will eventually be a part two, which remains unwritten, and I make no promises on when it'll get done. ):
in the arithmetic of love,
one plus one equals everything,
and two minus one equals nothing.
- mignon mcLaughlin; the second neurotic's notebook, 1966
i.
The first time Kibum meets Donghae, he's only eight years old.
"This is my wife - and my son, Kibum," his father said to Mr. Lee, and Kibum respectfully waited for his mother to finish her greeting before giving a cautious sort of nod to the other man, realizing even then that Lee Trading Industries was Kim Corporation's biggest rival, and while business parties were mandatory events, most of the people who attended them were far from friends. Appearances could be deceiving - his father had been telling him this for as long as he could remember.
The other man gave Kibum an amused half-smile before motioning towards the group of children on the other side of the room. "A few years younger than my son, I believe?" He raised his voice in a way that while it wasn't exactly loud, still traveled through the hall clearly. "Donghae, come here!"
The boy who appeared a few minutes later may have been older than Kibum in age, but he was clearly younger in spirit. Catching sight of Kibum, he ignored Kibum's parents altogether and held out his hand, dimpling a little as he smiled. "Hi, I'm Donghae! Do you want to join my friends and I?"
"Donghae!" Mr. Lee's voice was still calm, but there was an edge to it that hadn't previously been there. "Where are your manners?"
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Donghae said, jumping up and vigorously shaking Kibum's father's hand before kissing the back of his mother's. "I'm Lee Donghae, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Kibum's father laughed, while his mother smiled politely, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. "What a perfect gentleman you have there, Mr. Lee. Why don't you go with Donghae, Kibum? We'll come find you later."
Donghae tugged eagerly at Kibum's hand and pulled him towards the opposite side of the room. While Kibum didn't have any particular desire to mingle with the other children, he'd learned enough to realize that success in the corporate world was only fifty percent hard work, the other fifty due to social networking and connections. Refusing to go with Donghae would not only be rude, it would also be foolish - and so he allowed himself to be dragged along.
He wasn't sure quite what to make of Donghae, Kibum quickly discovered. The other boy was, by all standards, the perfect filial son, with that innate ability to charm anyone he came across. Kibum had had to work hard to perfect his handshakes and mannerisms and the warm smiles he reserved for the wives of his father's associates, but all that seemed to be second nature to Donghae. And yet despite everything, there was something a little untamed about him, as if not even the rigorous social training all the children of the wealthier businessmen were put through could quite restrain him. His laughter seemed to have a life of its own, ringing out loud and clear through the room and making everyone turn to find its source.
He made Kibum call him "hyung" instead of "Donghae-sshi", and the word felt a little unfamiliar in Kibum's mouth (when was the last time he'd addressed someone so informally?), but not in a bad way.
They meet more often in the next few years - often enough that Kibum can almost forget about Donghae's status, (forget that there's no possibility of friendship for the two of them, not being who they are).
ii.
Sixteen is the age for growing up and social pressures and first love. His father increases the pace and intensity of Kibum's schooling and his mother encourages him to go on dates, while Kibum discovers that Donghae kisses like the ocean, long and wild and sweet. They spend their free time hiding out in one of the numerous gardens no one but the gardener ever visits in the back of Donghae's family mansion while Kibum tells his father that he's staying late in the libraries after his private lessons to study. Kibum discovers that he smiles more around Donghae. When they manage to sneak out, they watch movies and have dinner and wander through the streets together while dressed in oversized hoodies and baseball caps so that no one can recognize them. Donghae laughs a lot, his amusement loud and free and unrestrained. He ends up burying his face into Kibum's shoulder in (failed) attempts to suppress his giggles, and Kibum wonders if this is what love feels like.
He maintains his delusions until he's seventeen, when Lee Trading Industries makes a deal with a large overseas company Kibum's father had been relying on. It almost sends Kim Corporation into bankruptcy.
Kibum's father is furious. On the surface, he remains as calm and polite as ever, but he's forced to sell most of his shares. Billions are lost, and it's a wakeup call for Kibum when they're forced to move out of their house and into a less expensive neighbourhood.
The next few years are difficult. Their family falls to what is essentially the bottom of the social ladder, and Kibum doesn't hear from Donghae anymore. He's confused at first - secretly tries to call Donghae's cell behind his father's back - but all he gets in response is I'm sorry, the number you dialed is no longer in use. Kibum is far from stupid, and it doesn't take him long to figure out what that means.
It leaves a bitter taste in the back of his throat. His father had been right all along - he'd been stupid to think that someone like Donghae could ever think of him as anything more than an acquaintance.
He still remembers the sound of Donghae's laughter though, crisp and clear in his memory as the crunch of autumn leaves under his feet.
A few months before his eighteenth birthday, his father decides to send him overseas. "You have to do well," he tells Kibum, face serious and eyes hard. "I want you to be the best you can be. I'm going to make Kim Corporation successful again, and when you come back, I want you to succeed the company."
Kibum has nothing to hold him back anymore. He agrees.
America is similar and yet so different from Korea. It takes a while for him to get used to it, to try and blend in, and it's hard but eventually he manages. He finishes up the last year of high school and works on perfecting his English, taking on a part time job to pay for the expenses. He studies and studies and studies (because that's all he can do now) until the practice exam questions come to him effortlessly, until he barely has to think before the answers are on the tip of his tongue. His teachers praise him for his dedication and efficiency, but Kibum shrugs it all off - he's used to this mindless grind that's education, and he's not afraid of hard work. Maybe it's a little lonely sometimes, but it only serves to make Kibum work harder. He has no time for making friends or slacking off.
When it's cold at night, he still dreams of Donghae's smile.
He enters the university of his choice with a full ride, and meets new people from all over the world. Kibum majors in business and minors in finance. He graduates with honors and goes into grad school, and doesn't go back to Korea until he gets his master's degree.
iii.
It's as if he'd never left. Six years had passed, and his father, true to his word, had rebuilt the company in Kibum's absence. He'd taken a risk - borrowed money off some acquaintances - and the gamble had paid off. Kim Corporation is once again at the top of the social ladder, neck and neck with Lee Trading Industries, and Kibum is once again on the list of most eligible bachelors. It's the same vicious cycle all over again, except this time, Kibum's twice as cynical with his views and three times as cautious with his heart.
His family throws a formal party to welcome him back, and Kibum supposes it's kind of a big deal, with all of his father's business associates in attendance. They bring their family with them, encouraging their sons to make friends with Kibum and their daughters to catch his attention. There's a constant fight for Kibum's company, and Kibum discovers that even if he'd once been good at this, he's not used to the attention anymore. He might be richer in knowledge, but he's out of practice with the social conventions of Korea, having to think twice before every handshake and pause at every other smile.
He'd grown used to being anonymous in the States, of having people look over him without pausing to scrutinize his every movement. Now, being thrust back under the spotlight, it feels a little like suffocating.
It would be a lie to say he's surprised to see Donghae, because of course Donghae would be in attendance of an event like this, but the sight of the familiar face still sends his heartbeat into double time.
"Kibum-ah, you know Donghae-sshi, don't you?" Kibum's father asks, steering Kibum to the one person he doesn't want to face yet. There's a flicker of something in Donghae's expression before he smiles and holds out a hand, the curve of his lips as familiar to Kibum as it had been six years ago. Kibum gives an obligatory smile in return (pretends his heart isn't lodged in his throat) and grasps the offered hand, shakes it twice before letting go. It's as if they're meeting for the first time, as if they'd never been anything more than mere acquaintances.
His father turns to introduce him to someone else, a girl this time, and Kibum politely kisses the back of her hand the way a gentleman would. She giggles a little, and it grates on his nerves but he gives her a half-smile in return. By the time he turns, Donghae has disappeared from sight.
It's certainly not disappointment that makes his stomach drop. After all, he has nothing to be disappointed about - this is what he'd anticipated all along.
After mingling amongst the guests for what he deems to be long enough, Kibum makes his excuses and escapes to refill his drink. It seems as if today just isn't his day, however, as he soon finds himself ambushed by three girls - all in their teens, apparently, and well on their way to being half drunk. Kibum had seen them around the room earlier, had wondered briefly whose daughters they were before dismissing them from his mind.
"How can I help you ladies?" he asks them now, flashing his best smile.
They giggle in unison, and the one in the middle takes a step closer - too close - into Kibum's personal space. "Oppa," she says in that annoying pitched tone of voice girls love to use when talking to their boyfriends. "Will you go on a date with me?"
Internally sighing, he opens his mouth to make a polite refusal when he's interrupted by a voice he still knows far too well. "I'm sorry, ladies, but can I borrow Kibum for a second?"
The girl pouts at the interruption, but backs off with a sigh in the face of Donghae's hopeful expression. Her friends trail after her, leaving Kibum trying to decide whose company he would rather suffer more.
"Kibummie, can we talk?" Donghae's smile is tentative, and the hand on Kibum's shoulder burns into his skin. For a while, they just stand there and look at each other, Kibum taking in the broad shoulders and sharp cheekbones that hadn't been there before. There's no doubt that Donghae had changed, and yet his smile is still devastatingly familiar, his face, heartbreakingly handsome, and maybe that's why Kibum lets himself be pulled out of the main hall and onto the balconies overlooking the gardens.
The first thing Donghae does is hug him. It's the last thing Kibum is expecting (except in hindsight, it's Donghae, so maybe he shouldn't have been surprised at all) and he tenses automatically, his brain noting (as much as he didn't want to) that Donghae still used the same shampoo. "It's good to see you, Kibummie. I've missed you."
Kibum wonders if Donghae really plans on pretending the last six years hadn't happened. "You look good, Donghae-sshi. How has your father been?" he asks, playing along for now, but makes it perfectly clear with his form of address that Donghae's assumed closeness means nothing to him now.
Donghae gives a strained smile, and the way his eyes dim a little signal that Kibum's message had been received clearly. "He retired last year, actually. I'm the head of the company how."
Kibum hadn't realized. Obviously, he still has a lot to catch up on. "I see that congratulations are in order then," he says, and wonders how long this can go on before Donghae breaks. "I hope your mother is doing well?"
Not long, apparently, because Donghae's eyes harden. "Why are you being so formal, Kibum?" he asks directly, cutting to the chase and ignoring Kibum's question.
Kibum's responding smile is picture-perfect. "I'm not sure what you mean, Donghae-sshi."
Donghae's lips tighten. "What happened to hyung? I thought you - I thought we were closer than that, Kibum."
He should be satisfied in seeing Donghae upset, after everything. Kibum shrugs carelessly, tells himself that the twinge in his chest is anything but guilt. "We're not children any more, Donghae-sshi. You know it wouldn't be appropriate."
"I thought we were past that, at least. What happened to us?"
"There's been no us since you disappeared off the face of the planet the second my family lost social standing," Kibum shoots back, and realizes from the widening of Donghae's eyes that he'd said more than he'd intended. "Have a good day, Donghae-sshi."
He turns, determined to head back into the main hall where everyone is still mingling, when a hand catches his wrist. Donghae's grip is surprisingly strong, and Kibum turns to give him a verbal dressing down, but Donghae's eyes are burning into his own and his throat is suddenly dry.
And then Donghae's kissing him, left hand curled around the back of Kibum's neck and right arm wrapped around his waist. The logical part of Kibum's mind is screaming for him to pull back, to yell at Donghae, but his body remembers this and melts into Donghae's arms without his permission. It feels something like agony and homecoming all at once.
"I'm sorry," Donghae whispers when he finally pulls back, and the desperation is still there but there's regret in his voice too. "I'm so sorry, Kibum. My father - he found out, he took away my phone and made sure I couldn't leave the house, and by the time I got out you were gone. I'm sorry, Kibummie, I should have tried harder. I'm so sorry."
Kibum finally finds the strength to pull himself back. "Get off me," he says, voice dangerously low. All he knows is that he has to get out of here, now, before he does something he regrets. Some part of him realizes that what Donghae is saying is important, but he's not in any state of mind right now to process the information. "I can't deal with this right now."
Donghae lets go, arms falling limp to his sides.
Kibum turns and sweeps back out into the main hall without another word, mentally telling himself not to run. As he turns the corner and escapes into the crowd of guests, the last thing he catches sight of is Donghae, front teeth worrying his lips and something like sadness in his eyes.
fic started: June 24, 2009
fic finished: June 24, 2009
+ Feedback would be greatly appreciated.
+ Like what you've read? Please friend!
Author: papered
Fandom: Super Junior
Characters/Pairings: Kibum, Kihae
Rating: PG
Word Count: 2618
Summary: corporate!AU. In which Kibum and Donghae are the sons of the heads of rival companies, and nothing works out easily for them.
Notes: Not sure where this came from exactly, and certainly didn't expect this to get over 1000 words, but here it is anyway. This is part one. There will eventually be a part two, which remains unwritten, and I make no promises on when it'll get done. ):
in the arithmetic of love,
one plus one equals everything,
and two minus one equals nothing.
- mignon mcLaughlin; the second neurotic's notebook, 1966
i.
The first time Kibum meets Donghae, he's only eight years old.
"This is my wife - and my son, Kibum," his father said to Mr. Lee, and Kibum respectfully waited for his mother to finish her greeting before giving a cautious sort of nod to the other man, realizing even then that Lee Trading Industries was Kim Corporation's biggest rival, and while business parties were mandatory events, most of the people who attended them were far from friends. Appearances could be deceiving - his father had been telling him this for as long as he could remember.
The other man gave Kibum an amused half-smile before motioning towards the group of children on the other side of the room. "A few years younger than my son, I believe?" He raised his voice in a way that while it wasn't exactly loud, still traveled through the hall clearly. "Donghae, come here!"
The boy who appeared a few minutes later may have been older than Kibum in age, but he was clearly younger in spirit. Catching sight of Kibum, he ignored Kibum's parents altogether and held out his hand, dimpling a little as he smiled. "Hi, I'm Donghae! Do you want to join my friends and I?"
"Donghae!" Mr. Lee's voice was still calm, but there was an edge to it that hadn't previously been there. "Where are your manners?"
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Donghae said, jumping up and vigorously shaking Kibum's father's hand before kissing the back of his mother's. "I'm Lee Donghae, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Kibum's father laughed, while his mother smiled politely, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. "What a perfect gentleman you have there, Mr. Lee. Why don't you go with Donghae, Kibum? We'll come find you later."
Donghae tugged eagerly at Kibum's hand and pulled him towards the opposite side of the room. While Kibum didn't have any particular desire to mingle with the other children, he'd learned enough to realize that success in the corporate world was only fifty percent hard work, the other fifty due to social networking and connections. Refusing to go with Donghae would not only be rude, it would also be foolish - and so he allowed himself to be dragged along.
He wasn't sure quite what to make of Donghae, Kibum quickly discovered. The other boy was, by all standards, the perfect filial son, with that innate ability to charm anyone he came across. Kibum had had to work hard to perfect his handshakes and mannerisms and the warm smiles he reserved for the wives of his father's associates, but all that seemed to be second nature to Donghae. And yet despite everything, there was something a little untamed about him, as if not even the rigorous social training all the children of the wealthier businessmen were put through could quite restrain him. His laughter seemed to have a life of its own, ringing out loud and clear through the room and making everyone turn to find its source.
He made Kibum call him "hyung" instead of "Donghae-sshi", and the word felt a little unfamiliar in Kibum's mouth (when was the last time he'd addressed someone so informally?), but not in a bad way.
They meet more often in the next few years - often enough that Kibum can almost forget about Donghae's status, (forget that there's no possibility of friendship for the two of them, not being who they are).
ii.
Sixteen is the age for growing up and social pressures and first love. His father increases the pace and intensity of Kibum's schooling and his mother encourages him to go on dates, while Kibum discovers that Donghae kisses like the ocean, long and wild and sweet. They spend their free time hiding out in one of the numerous gardens no one but the gardener ever visits in the back of Donghae's family mansion while Kibum tells his father that he's staying late in the libraries after his private lessons to study. Kibum discovers that he smiles more around Donghae. When they manage to sneak out, they watch movies and have dinner and wander through the streets together while dressed in oversized hoodies and baseball caps so that no one can recognize them. Donghae laughs a lot, his amusement loud and free and unrestrained. He ends up burying his face into Kibum's shoulder in (failed) attempts to suppress his giggles, and Kibum wonders if this is what love feels like.
He maintains his delusions until he's seventeen, when Lee Trading Industries makes a deal with a large overseas company Kibum's father had been relying on. It almost sends Kim Corporation into bankruptcy.
Kibum's father is furious. On the surface, he remains as calm and polite as ever, but he's forced to sell most of his shares. Billions are lost, and it's a wakeup call for Kibum when they're forced to move out of their house and into a less expensive neighbourhood.
The next few years are difficult. Their family falls to what is essentially the bottom of the social ladder, and Kibum doesn't hear from Donghae anymore. He's confused at first - secretly tries to call Donghae's cell behind his father's back - but all he gets in response is I'm sorry, the number you dialed is no longer in use. Kibum is far from stupid, and it doesn't take him long to figure out what that means.
It leaves a bitter taste in the back of his throat. His father had been right all along - he'd been stupid to think that someone like Donghae could ever think of him as anything more than an acquaintance.
He still remembers the sound of Donghae's laughter though, crisp and clear in his memory as the crunch of autumn leaves under his feet.
A few months before his eighteenth birthday, his father decides to send him overseas. "You have to do well," he tells Kibum, face serious and eyes hard. "I want you to be the best you can be. I'm going to make Kim Corporation successful again, and when you come back, I want you to succeed the company."
Kibum has nothing to hold him back anymore. He agrees.
America is similar and yet so different from Korea. It takes a while for him to get used to it, to try and blend in, and it's hard but eventually he manages. He finishes up the last year of high school and works on perfecting his English, taking on a part time job to pay for the expenses. He studies and studies and studies (because that's all he can do now) until the practice exam questions come to him effortlessly, until he barely has to think before the answers are on the tip of his tongue. His teachers praise him for his dedication and efficiency, but Kibum shrugs it all off - he's used to this mindless grind that's education, and he's not afraid of hard work. Maybe it's a little lonely sometimes, but it only serves to make Kibum work harder. He has no time for making friends or slacking off.
When it's cold at night, he still dreams of Donghae's smile.
He enters the university of his choice with a full ride, and meets new people from all over the world. Kibum majors in business and minors in finance. He graduates with honors and goes into grad school, and doesn't go back to Korea until he gets his master's degree.
iii.
It's as if he'd never left. Six years had passed, and his father, true to his word, had rebuilt the company in Kibum's absence. He'd taken a risk - borrowed money off some acquaintances - and the gamble had paid off. Kim Corporation is once again at the top of the social ladder, neck and neck with Lee Trading Industries, and Kibum is once again on the list of most eligible bachelors. It's the same vicious cycle all over again, except this time, Kibum's twice as cynical with his views and three times as cautious with his heart.
His family throws a formal party to welcome him back, and Kibum supposes it's kind of a big deal, with all of his father's business associates in attendance. They bring their family with them, encouraging their sons to make friends with Kibum and their daughters to catch his attention. There's a constant fight for Kibum's company, and Kibum discovers that even if he'd once been good at this, he's not used to the attention anymore. He might be richer in knowledge, but he's out of practice with the social conventions of Korea, having to think twice before every handshake and pause at every other smile.
He'd grown used to being anonymous in the States, of having people look over him without pausing to scrutinize his every movement. Now, being thrust back under the spotlight, it feels a little like suffocating.
It would be a lie to say he's surprised to see Donghae, because of course Donghae would be in attendance of an event like this, but the sight of the familiar face still sends his heartbeat into double time.
"Kibum-ah, you know Donghae-sshi, don't you?" Kibum's father asks, steering Kibum to the one person he doesn't want to face yet. There's a flicker of something in Donghae's expression before he smiles and holds out a hand, the curve of his lips as familiar to Kibum as it had been six years ago. Kibum gives an obligatory smile in return (pretends his heart isn't lodged in his throat) and grasps the offered hand, shakes it twice before letting go. It's as if they're meeting for the first time, as if they'd never been anything more than mere acquaintances.
His father turns to introduce him to someone else, a girl this time, and Kibum politely kisses the back of her hand the way a gentleman would. She giggles a little, and it grates on his nerves but he gives her a half-smile in return. By the time he turns, Donghae has disappeared from sight.
It's certainly not disappointment that makes his stomach drop. After all, he has nothing to be disappointed about - this is what he'd anticipated all along.
After mingling amongst the guests for what he deems to be long enough, Kibum makes his excuses and escapes to refill his drink. It seems as if today just isn't his day, however, as he soon finds himself ambushed by three girls - all in their teens, apparently, and well on their way to being half drunk. Kibum had seen them around the room earlier, had wondered briefly whose daughters they were before dismissing them from his mind.
"How can I help you ladies?" he asks them now, flashing his best smile.
They giggle in unison, and the one in the middle takes a step closer - too close - into Kibum's personal space. "Oppa," she says in that annoying pitched tone of voice girls love to use when talking to their boyfriends. "Will you go on a date with me?"
Internally sighing, he opens his mouth to make a polite refusal when he's interrupted by a voice he still knows far too well. "I'm sorry, ladies, but can I borrow Kibum for a second?"
The girl pouts at the interruption, but backs off with a sigh in the face of Donghae's hopeful expression. Her friends trail after her, leaving Kibum trying to decide whose company he would rather suffer more.
"Kibummie, can we talk?" Donghae's smile is tentative, and the hand on Kibum's shoulder burns into his skin. For a while, they just stand there and look at each other, Kibum taking in the broad shoulders and sharp cheekbones that hadn't been there before. There's no doubt that Donghae had changed, and yet his smile is still devastatingly familiar, his face, heartbreakingly handsome, and maybe that's why Kibum lets himself be pulled out of the main hall and onto the balconies overlooking the gardens.
The first thing Donghae does is hug him. It's the last thing Kibum is expecting (except in hindsight, it's Donghae, so maybe he shouldn't have been surprised at all) and he tenses automatically, his brain noting (as much as he didn't want to) that Donghae still used the same shampoo. "It's good to see you, Kibummie. I've missed you."
Kibum wonders if Donghae really plans on pretending the last six years hadn't happened. "You look good, Donghae-sshi. How has your father been?" he asks, playing along for now, but makes it perfectly clear with his form of address that Donghae's assumed closeness means nothing to him now.
Donghae gives a strained smile, and the way his eyes dim a little signal that Kibum's message had been received clearly. "He retired last year, actually. I'm the head of the company how."
Kibum hadn't realized. Obviously, he still has a lot to catch up on. "I see that congratulations are in order then," he says, and wonders how long this can go on before Donghae breaks. "I hope your mother is doing well?"
Not long, apparently, because Donghae's eyes harden. "Why are you being so formal, Kibum?" he asks directly, cutting to the chase and ignoring Kibum's question.
Kibum's responding smile is picture-perfect. "I'm not sure what you mean, Donghae-sshi."
Donghae's lips tighten. "What happened to hyung? I thought you - I thought we were closer than that, Kibum."
He should be satisfied in seeing Donghae upset, after everything. Kibum shrugs carelessly, tells himself that the twinge in his chest is anything but guilt. "We're not children any more, Donghae-sshi. You know it wouldn't be appropriate."
"I thought we were past that, at least. What happened to us?"
"There's been no us since you disappeared off the face of the planet the second my family lost social standing," Kibum shoots back, and realizes from the widening of Donghae's eyes that he'd said more than he'd intended. "Have a good day, Donghae-sshi."
He turns, determined to head back into the main hall where everyone is still mingling, when a hand catches his wrist. Donghae's grip is surprisingly strong, and Kibum turns to give him a verbal dressing down, but Donghae's eyes are burning into his own and his throat is suddenly dry.
And then Donghae's kissing him, left hand curled around the back of Kibum's neck and right arm wrapped around his waist. The logical part of Kibum's mind is screaming for him to pull back, to yell at Donghae, but his body remembers this and melts into Donghae's arms without his permission. It feels something like agony and homecoming all at once.
"I'm sorry," Donghae whispers when he finally pulls back, and the desperation is still there but there's regret in his voice too. "I'm so sorry, Kibum. My father - he found out, he took away my phone and made sure I couldn't leave the house, and by the time I got out you were gone. I'm sorry, Kibummie, I should have tried harder. I'm so sorry."
Kibum finally finds the strength to pull himself back. "Get off me," he says, voice dangerously low. All he knows is that he has to get out of here, now, before he does something he regrets. Some part of him realizes that what Donghae is saying is important, but he's not in any state of mind right now to process the information. "I can't deal with this right now."
Donghae lets go, arms falling limp to his sides.
Kibum turns and sweeps back out into the main hall without another word, mentally telling himself not to run. As he turns the corner and escapes into the crowd of guests, the last thing he catches sight of is Donghae, front teeth worrying his lips and something like sadness in his eyes.
fic started: June 24, 2009
fic finished: June 24, 2009
+ Feedback would be greatly appreciated.
+ Like what you've read? Please friend!