a thesis on theoretical physics: the younha go theory
a thesis on theoretical physics: the younha go theory
kyuhyun/younha, au, one-shot, 4869 words
kyuhyun and younha's friends try to get them married
Written in the #twelvetoten universe.
Kyuha I've missed you. Lots of love.
“I just got another text from Siwon asking when we have time to meet up for dinner,” Younha said as she stuck her head into the study, where Kyuhyun was staring at a page full of words that he considered to be his thesis, “he’s not being very subtle with his pushiness.”
Kyuhyun turned around in his chair and glared at the phone she was holding out. This had been going on for days and weeks and months and he was just two percent away from completion, but nobody would let him (and by extension Younha, so therefore them) off. Younha laughed at his expression and mimed flicking his nose. She was wearing a thick green sweater that looked very nice with her hair. It had grown out since last spring. Kyuhyun liked it better when her hair was this way, always flowy around her face.
“Should I say yes?” Younha mused, leaning on the doorframe, “Or just play dumb as always?”
Kyuhyun exhaled very, very slowly.
It all began in the bitter cold of February. Kyuhyun was walking home from his lab when his phone rang and he ran into a grocery store so that he could defrost his finger and tap it open. Younha had texted him a screenshot: Jongdae and Liyin, both their juniors from high school back in Singapore, had just gotten engaged. She also attached a flurry of emoticons that Kyuhyun scowled at, before stowing his phone back into his backpack and shoving his hands into the depths of his coat again.
He had just started to prepare dinner when his phone rang again. This time it was a text from Donghae, who had simply sent a face winking up at him. Kyuhyun rolled his eyes and put the phone right back down on the counter. He was marinating the chicken when his phone exploded with rings. He washed his hands and looked at it again (because knowing when Younha was coming home was of utmost importance), but all of them were either from Donghae or Siwon, alternating between different happy faces.
> Shut up oh my god.
He tapped out the message as quickly as he could, and went back to stir frying. Kyuhyun was an adept cook, but more out of necessity than anything else. Younha had been busy with writing (and now directing) her play the past few years, and even if she wasn’t she would never deign to cook for him just because he was lazy to. The phone kept ringing, though, and Kyuhyun had shoved the remaining vegetables back into the fridge when he finally picked it up again.
Donghae > OMG U R LOSING TO JONGDAE HOW
Siwon > Please, I can help you with proposal tips and plans
Donghae > HES 3 YRS YOUNGR I MEAN
Siwon > Don’t be shy!
Ryeowook > Hey did you lock the lab doors again I WAS INSIDE ALRIGHT
Kyuhyun squeezed his eyes very tightly shut and tried to think of happy thoughts, like chocolate-covered dried mangoes, grilled Korean beef, and Younha’s face. It took a while but he finally managed to suppress the urge to wreck his phone (newly bought two weeks ago), and turned his attention back to mashing potatoes.
Ryeowook > DUDE I MEAN IF THE SECURITY PERSON HAS TO BAIL ME OUT ONE MORE TIME YOU ARE SO DEAD
Younha found it funny that everyone was expressing so much concern over their relationship status. She and Kyuhyun had been dating since the first year of high school (he met her in orchestra tryouts, he played the violin, she played the cello, and he totally had a crush on her the moment they locked eyes), and were pretty much the only couple among their mutual friends to survive through both high school and college. They were quite the endearing sort of couple, so she understood their concern to be one of determination not to allow them to fall behind a much younger pair.
“Oh hey Yeeun!” Younha had picked up the call right after exiting a prop review for her play. They were making good progress. “What’s up?”
“Hey unnie! So did I catch you at a good time? You’re not busy now or anything?” Yeeun’s voice crackled over the line, sunny and bright. “I mean, that would be so bad if I did.”
“Nope,” she rummaged around in her bag for her purse, “I’m just going for lunch. Anything I can help you out with?”
Yeeun was part of their so-called New York Contingent, a group of steadily growing students from their old high school who had come to college in New York City. Younha was one of the earliest, and Yeeun had arrived a few years after.
“Okay so, I totally want you to know that grown men, all twenty two years of age, pressured me into making this call. They’re so eight year olds, I’m super sorry unnie!” Yeeun sounded like she wanted to laugh, and Younha smiled, “They made me do this. They’re dumb kids, so they wanted to ask: when are you and Kyuhyun oppa getting married, unnie?”
“Um,” Younha let out a small laugh, “are you sure they forced you into this?”
There was a short pause, before Yeeun begged for more forgiveness. Younha laughed again. It really was funny how everyone wanted to nudge them in the direction of marriage. For one thing, she was cool with their current situation. That no one really knew anything about, because the both of them weren’t as into social media as the rest were. She had only sent the snapshot of Jongdae and Liyin’s engagement announcement to Kyuhyun because Sunye had sent it to her first.
“Seriously unnie, you and Kyuhyun oppa are so… into each other’s groove. If you two don’t get married soon I don’t know who else will. Legit. For real.” Yeeun declared with a sense of finality. Younha let out a very small sigh. So this was how Kyuhyun felt like, but perhaps on a much smaller scale.
“Well first of all, Yeeun, thank you for your concern and support,” Younha had a vague feeling she was sounding way too corporate but it didn’t matter, “but your Kyuhyun oppa and I have way too much on our plates right now. Kyuhyun needs to finish his thesis, and my play’s opening so soon… maybe we’ll think about it later, I don’t know. But first, we’ve got to finish up whatever we’ve already started. Then plans can be made for later.”
“Got it.” Yeeun sounded extremely victorious. “I love you, unnie!”
“You’re welcome?” She had no idea why she was being thanked, but put the call down and made her way to Columbia afterwards. She had made salads for both Kyuhyun (who had whined non-stop for an hour after being in a rut last night) and her, and his lunch break only lasted an hour and a half at most.
Younha had no idea that within five minutes, a new version of this conversation began making its rounds around their entire alumni system.
“Okay so now I have Sungmin on my back as well?” Kyuhyun lobbed his phone and it landed on their sofa, bouncing in sad, stubby arcs. “Don’t they have things to do? Lives to live?!”
Now everyone assumed that once his thesis had been submitted and approved, he would pop the big question. Kyuhyun didn’t blame Younha for telling Yeeun what she had; he only blamed himself for not being able to be there at the scene and snatching the phone out of her hands at the very moment. Younha gave him a look from over the kitchen counter, where she was making one of her Korean stews. She was a very good cook, but only yielded to him whenever he went into playing cute overdrive.
“And don’t you have a thesis to write?” Younha asked while trying to reach for one of the upper shelves. She was very short and this apartment originally belonged to an old couple from Norway. There was no way she was going to get what she needed, so Kyuhyun stood up with a sigh and ambled over to where she was. He grabbed it for her and immediately slunk next to her with a loud groan. “That’s you, right?”
“I only need like, two percent more before completion.” Kyuhyun flung his arms up in the air and Younha flicked his nose with a finger. “Ouch!”
“Then get to it. I’ll call you when the jjiggae is done.” She motioned towards his computer, where his thesis was staring back at him in black font. Kyuhyun didn’t want to move, until the Skype ringing tone started blaring at top volume. He squinted and could make out a vague outline of Siwon’s new haircut in the tiny icon.
No way. No way was he even going to pick up that call.
But Younha was glaring at him again while vigorously stirring her pot, and he resigned himself to walking back as slovenly as possible, and clicking on the green video call icon. It took a few moments, but Siwon’s face soon popped up in all of his iMac’s high definition glory. Kyuhyun narrowed his eyes. Guy was still as good looking as ever and it made him cross.
“Hello! My friend! Kyuhyun!” Siwon moved in as close to the camera as he could so Kyuhyun could only see his eyes. He scowled. “It’s so good to see you again!”
“Cut the crap.” He wasn’t in a good mood at all. “And to the chase, please.”
“Well, seeing how you haven’t been replying my texts, I thought this was the next best possible way of communication.” Siwon had moved away from the camera now and shrugged. “Hi Kirsten!”
Younha had come over, one hand tucked in her apron, and was waving to Siwon over Kyuhyun’s shoulder. Kyuhyun pressed her arm down irritably.
“Dude, you know her real name.” Kyuhyun snapped. “Don’t be annoying.”
“You’re the annoying one,” Younha frowned, “that’s my real name. It’s in our--my passport.”
Kyuhyun looked at her before taking a moment to think about it. “Yeah that’s right.” He shrugged, and Younha let out a very audible sigh. Siwon was smiling way too widely on his side, and Kyuhyun frowned right in his face.
“Anyhow, when are you guys available? Check your schedulers!” Siwon pressed on, and Kyuhyun stared at the screen idly. Siwon had always been the star pupil, super organised and neat and tidy, but just a little lacking in common sense. Kyuhyun wanted to say in bucket loads, but refrained because they were friends.
“Schedulers, oh god.” Kyuhyun sniffed, “Not everyone is as old school as you are.”
“Old school, but a good tool.” Siwon smiled his winning smile, and Younha laughed. Kyuhyun couldn’t believe he was rhyming. He wanted to give Siwon a good old smack in the bum, but he was in Philadelphia and the drive would be too troublesome just for one revenge antic.
“I don’t know, Siwon,” Younha was using Kyuhyun as a crutch now, leaning over him almost entirely, “we’re both kind of busy lately. Kyuhyun needs to finish his thesis, and I really need to focus on my play. It’s going to stage soon.”
Siwon clucked his tongue and shook a finger. Kyuhyun resisted the urge to roll his eyes as hard as he could.
“Kirsten, Younha, my dear, it only takes zeal to achieve what one wants! And in this case, it’s only a drive down to Philly. Come home! Visit me! And maybe your family.”
“Dude,” Kyuhyun jabbed a finger at his camera and Siwon immediately sprung backwards. Siwon was never good with electronics (his brother Junmyeon had to guide him through an iPhone even), and he probably thought that his finger was going to come through the screen for real just now. The thought of that made Kyuhyun unspeakably happy. “You have got to stop. We said we’re busy! Stop bothering us!”
“But,” Siwon looked too upset, “but I wanted to prepare a dinner for you guys. With steak! And roses! And all!”
“Not interested.” Kyuhyun made a mildly rude hand gesture and watched Siwon recoil in horror. Siwon was also overwhelmingly religious and was frequently appalled by the way their friends communicated with each other. Younha gave him a sound smack on the back, and he reeled in pain. “Ouch!”
“Siwon, thanks,” Younha set out to salvage the situation, “but now’s not a very good time. If you ever come up to New York though, we should have lunch together or something. Kyuhyun has an hour and a half off for that.”
Siwon perked up considerably after that, and continued to ask about them and their lives, but mostly just about their lack of a marriage license. Kyuhyun really didn’t understand why everyone was so concerned: maybe they had nothing else better to do? Maybe Wharton’s MBA programme was too easy for Siwon, so he had hours and hours of free time thinking up marriage proposal plans for others?
He and Younha had been dating for almost a decade now, and the both of them always had had a mutual, unspoken consensus about most things. He understood the need for concern among their friends (Kyuhyun both loved and hated the Asian concept of love), but also not why it mattered so much. He figured it was just because they had been dating the longest and hence the easiest to nudge along into marriage. But that didn’t mean that he had to go along willingly or not be annoyed by it.
“Anyhow,” Kyuhyun jabbed his finger into the camera again and Siwon cowered, “I’m a theoretical physicist, so I really don’t need more people telling me mere theories on what to do with my life, okay?”
Siwon stared at him for a long, hurt moment, before breaking into what looked suspiciously like a pout.
“You mean…” Siwon had a hard time searching for a more severe sounding word, since he never cursed, “You mean… boy!”
Then the call got hung up and Kyuhyun stared at the empty conversation window for five seconds before bursting into loud, uncontrollable shrieks of laughter. Younha pushed his forehead away, before starting to laugh alongside as well. The look on Siwon’s face was a classic and Kyuhyun was sure he would never forget it for the rest of his life.
Donghae > IM TELLIN U URE LOSIN OUT
Sungmin > Proposing is like the easiest thing on earth SHE HAS A PLAY YOU HAVE A GREAT CHANCE
Siwon > You’re a mean boy but I’m just saying steak and roses? Way to go.
Kyuhyun was working on his reference list when his phone vibrated again. He had had a field day of deleting messages when they poured in (from mostly Siwon, Donghae, and Sungmin no doubt about that), but they didn’t stop coming in anyway. He’d thought that only the guys from their year would dare to ask him questions about his marriage, but now texts from the younger kids were trickling in as well. Kyuhyun wanted to know who gave them the green light for this (it was most likely Siwon).
Sehun > Hi hyung what is this about you getting married??????
He looked back at his list, then at his phone, then at his list again.
> The same thing I hear about you and Sohee
Sehun never replied after that, but Kyuhyun went right back to updating his reference list. His thesis was largely done and all that was left was more refinement of content and the printing and binding. Kyuhyun had chosen to be a theoretical physicist because he wasn’t an experiment sort of person. He didn’t need to explain his choice to Younha when they both matriculated at Columbia: they both kind of already knew what the other needed and wanted to do, and respected that. Sometimes he felt a little afraid, even, of how well they knew each other without needing to say anything. This was one of the main reasons why Kyuhyun was so irritated by all the meddling--Younha didn’t need any distractions right now, even though she entertained all the concern with finesse and grace, and all of them were bothering her because he was the Hulk or something.
There was another buzz, and Kyuhyun turned only a crick to glance at the screen:
Donghae > OPN THE DOR
What on earth?
Younha unlocked the door, removed her boots, and stepped into their living room to find Kyuhyun with the foulest expression on his face, surrounded by Donghae and Siwon, who were clinking champagne glasses. Siwon was holding the bottle.
“Younha! Hi!” Donghae rushed over first to give her a hug and a peck on the cheek. She saw the scowl on Kyuhyun’s face grow even deeper and laughed. “Long time no see!”
“It has been a long time,” she placed her bag down and waved at Siwon, “whatever are you doing here?”
“You and the mean boy wouldn’t drive down, so I decided come up instead.” Siwon volunteered an answer, and Kyuhyun grabbed his glass. Siwon merely gave him an indulging sort of smile.
Younha didn’t need much to piece everything together: Siwon had driven up, gone to Donghae’s place, then marched over with a bottle of champagne and roses in hand. What he had not manage to materialise in Philadelphia, Siwon was determined to create in New York. She turned over to look at Kyuhyun, who had slid up to her and now was holding one of her hands so he wouldn’t grab his friends by the collars and show them the way out.
“He said his thesis was done, though.” Donghae looked completely at home as he tilted his glass towards Kyuhyun. Sometimes it was hard to believe that this was the same guy who devoted most of his time to charity work.
“I didn’t say you could come over, though.” Kyuhyun mimicked from over at the dining table where they were both seated. Donghae shrugged and Kyuhyun shook a silent fist in his direction. “You two are worse than robbers.”
“I beg your pardon, my friend. Look at what we’ve set up for you!” Siwon made a sound of disapproval and swept his arm across the insane spread. Younha knew that Siwon always kept to his word, but not to this extent: steak, mash, twenty year old wine, two pink candles, and a monstrosity of a rose bouquet. She sighed under her breath and squeezed Kyuhyun’s hand in silent support.
Donghae waved his glass. “And champagne too!”
Kyuhyun’s eyes darted from Donghae to Siwon, then back again. Younha knew that he was planning a best course of action that preferably involved a lot of heavy lifting and throwing, but these were their friends. Misguided and overenthusiastic, yes, but still their friends all the way from their high school days together.
“Uh,” she began slowly, like when she would while giving stage directions so she wouldn’t come off as too intimidating, “thanks for the surprise, guys. Really. But Kyuhyun’s not all quite done with his thesis yet, so he probably needs to get back to it. Right?”
Kyuhyun nodded as fast as he could, resembling a too-tall sort of bobblehead doll. Siwon merely looked at them lovingly, like they were children fibbing to get out of physical education class. Donghae waved his glass around in the air again. Younha took a deep breath.
“It’s okay, don’t be shy. I still have more stuff lined up after this.” Siwon actually winked, and patted his shirt pocket, where there was a suspiciously square shaped bulge. Her eyes widened in horror and she felt Kyuhyun’s hand go limp in hers. Oh god, he could not have gone as far as buying--
“Ok. Guys. Sorry about this but,” Younha stood up so suddenly that Kyuhyun was almost flung out of his chair, “you guys need to leave now. Or else I’m dragging each of you out. Personally. Myself.”
Siwon froze. Donghae’s glass was still moving about in the air.
Younha exhaled very, very slowly.
“And then she dragged us out! By our collars! Like what she said! Can you believe it?” Siwon gesticulated wildly as everyone listened in rapt attention. It was Liyin’s solo recital today, and everyone in New York who could make it had driven up to Boston for the event. Younha watched as Siwon reenacted the scene of her throwing the both of them out of their apartment for the third time in the same hour. He wasn’t going to let it go.
Someone slung an arm over her shoulder, and she turned to find Stephanie grinning widely at her. “At least all that taekwondo school team training came to good use, eh?” Younha laughed, and shook her head. Stephanie had always been a good friend, since they took so many classes together in high school, and even now that she lived in Boston as a professional ballerina, Younha still kept in close contact with her.
“Siwon exaggerates. You know how he’s like.” She shrugged, and Stephanie nodded. They were waiting outside the recital hall and in line to get in. Kyuhyun and Jongdae had left to get everyone some coffee a while ago, and she spotted the top of Kyuhyun’s head as they weaved through the crowd to get back to them.
Everyone got a cup of coffee, and Kyuhyun shared one with Younha. He wasn’t very picky about his brew, except that it needed cream and sugar. Sunye had come over to them now, with a very apologetic Donghae in tow, and apologised too many times for Donghae’s invasion of their apartment.
“He’s so…” Sunye struggled to find a word, and he marvelled at how alike she and Siwon were sometimes, “so… rash. I’m really sorry, unnie and oppa.”
Donghae gave him an awkward bump on the shoulder, and all was forgiven after that. Kyuhyun counted the number of people that had driven over to watch Liyin in action: he and Younha had finally been able to make time, as had Sunye, Donghae, Siwon, Jia, Feifei, Yeeun, Junho, Yubin, and Taecyeon. These were kids he’d hung out with sometimes in high school, but then Kyuhyun was also too nerdy to tolerate at other times so he stuck mostly with Younha, who didn’t mind his mathlete skills.
Jongdae was chattering nonstop away to Jia and Feifei, who were sipping at coffee to their right. Kyuhyun could catch snatches of their conversation, like “He has a girlfriend?” and “What, Kris is--”, but was largely uninterested in Jia and her beef with Kris. There was a huge blowout on Instagram, apparently, but Kyuhyun had been too busy living an adult life with his thesis that he’d missed out completely on it.
“Can you finish this?” Younha held up the cup to him, and he took it over. She wasn’t a very coffee person, he more so than her, and she liked tea with milk more instead. But rehearsals for the Off-Broadway play debut were taxing, and Younha had been drinking more caffeinated drinks than usual. “I’m full.”
“Okay, at least you’ll sleep in the car when we drive back.” He placed a protective hand on her head, and she leaned in for a quick rest until the line started moving again, and they were ushered into the hall.
Jongdae was a very professional photographer, even though he got reminded to turn off his flash multiple times, and Kyuhyun had to laugh at the poses he contorted himself into to take pictures from different angles. He was a dedicated boyfriend, though, that Kyuhyun had to give to him. Younha had fallen asleep in the seat beside him, and Kyuhyun adjusted her head so that she would sleep more comfortably.
Siwon had slipped him a mysterious gift just before they entered the hall, and it turned out to be the box that he had in his pocket the day Younha went all She-Hulk on them. Kyuhyun opened it before the lights went off, and it was his cue cards for Physics AP back in senior year. Siwon had borrowed and never returned them, now that he thought about it, and while the front of the cards were crammed with notes about equations and his current lifeblood, the back was different. He’d written Younha’s name in multiple colours, and on the very last one, this: If I ever become who I think I’ll be, I’ll name a theory after you.
It was the little details like this that made the relationship for him, as he’d reflected so many times. Their friends liked to make a big deal out of their romance (every year they passed the rest would celebrate online with too much fanfare) because it seemed to go on for so long, but to Kyuhyun it was like any other: why wouldn’t it go on forever? This was a relationship he wanted and cherished, and he knew exactly what to do with it if it was together with her. He knew what to do even without people nudging him too obviously from the side. Things that needed to be done had already been accomplished. Kyuhyun was a person who did things rather than talk about them, something that was at odds with being a theoretical physicist, and something Younha (and her alone) often laughed at him for. But so it was, and Kyuhyun decided that something needed to be done about their friends’ unchecked and uninhibited passion for pushing them into the stage of marriage.
First of all, though, he really needed to print and bind his thesis. Then, do something about everything else.
On the opening day of Younha’s play, he handbound an entire bouquet of sunflowers and delivered it specially backstage. She was pleasantly surprised enough, and pecked him on the lips for the nice present. He then bent down and whispered his plan in her ear, and while she didn’t necessarily like the approach, she approved anyway. And he already knew that she would, because he’d went ahead and did all the necessary preparations first.
“That is so not cool, Cho Kyuhyun.” She said and held the bouquet close. “At least make a show of asking me first, potato.”
He laughed and kissed her again. “Break a leg.”
Kyuhyun was never good at the arts, but he found the play to be irrevocably a masterpiece, with no bias involved at all. All of their friends in New York had come down to catch the opening as well, and Sunye was telling him about how wonderful she found one line to be, when Younha arrived, fresh from her curtain call.
“You were wonderful, nuna!” Taecyeon gave her two thumbs up and Kyuhyun thumbed him right back. Younha smiled the widest he had seen her in a while as she collected bouquets from everyone who had one for her, and Kyuhyun was relieved that she was so happy. The play was her baby, quite literally, and Younha was a perfectionist who had supernaturally high standards for herself and herself alone. Now it seemed that she was satisfied with the results, at least.
While everyone was busy surrounding her with praises of how much they liked the main character (“He was so hot!” was definitely said by Jia, and “Why didn’t they end up together but if they did I’d have cried more!” was Yubin for sure) and the plot (“Masterful” was Sunye’s take on it), Kyuhyun reached into his backpack and retrieved a huge stack of photocopies. He handed them out to the first person he saw--Junho--and passed them along. Soon enough everyone had a copy.
“Answer to what you’ve been asking us for the past three months.” He took a few of the heaviest bouquets from Younha, who couldn’t contain her smile already. It was a small secret that only the both of them and their families knew. Now everyone had a official copy of the truth.
Yeeun was the first one to look up in disbelief. “Wait. Cho Kyuhyun?”
“Yup.” He nodded.
“And Kirsten Younha Go.” This time it was Yubin.
“Yup.” She nodded, almost completely obscured by the bouquets she was holding. “I told you that was my real name.”
“Married 21 November??” Siwon’s eyes looked like they were bugged out. “2009? Two thousand and nine?????”
“Yup.” Kyuhyun nodded quite officially.
“You two have been married for four years?” Donghae’s voice was slow, just like the light of truth was dawning upon him. “What the--”
“Two thousand and nine????????? Two thousand and NINE????”
Siwon was repeating himself so many times that Kyuhyun didn’t bother to answer him again. But now everyone had erupted into a mad chaos that enveloped Younha in questions so thick and many that she was now raising a bouquet in SOS. Kyuhyun pursed his lips in great satisfaction, and started wading towards his now officially public wife of four years.
Minseok > 2009 HYUNG HOW COULD YOU
Segyun > I feel so betrayed
Kris > Bl8ted congratz
Lu Han > I… don’t know what to say they just asked me to text you hyung
Jongdae > HYUNG TIPS ON STAYING PRIVATE PLS I WANT TO EMULATE YOU FOR LIFE
> Shut up. But thanks.
> Jongdae: it’s impossible don’t even try.
kyuhyun/younha, au, one-shot, 4869 words
kyuhyun and younha's friends try to get them married
Written in the #twelvetoten universe.
Kyuha I've missed you. Lots of love.
“I just got another text from Siwon asking when we have time to meet up for dinner,” Younha said as she stuck her head into the study, where Kyuhyun was staring at a page full of words that he considered to be his thesis, “he’s not being very subtle with his pushiness.”
Kyuhyun turned around in his chair and glared at the phone she was holding out. This had been going on for days and weeks and months and he was just two percent away from completion, but nobody would let him (and by extension Younha, so therefore them) off. Younha laughed at his expression and mimed flicking his nose. She was wearing a thick green sweater that looked very nice with her hair. It had grown out since last spring. Kyuhyun liked it better when her hair was this way, always flowy around her face.
“Should I say yes?” Younha mused, leaning on the doorframe, “Or just play dumb as always?”
Kyuhyun exhaled very, very slowly.
It all began in the bitter cold of February. Kyuhyun was walking home from his lab when his phone rang and he ran into a grocery store so that he could defrost his finger and tap it open. Younha had texted him a screenshot: Jongdae and Liyin, both their juniors from high school back in Singapore, had just gotten engaged. She also attached a flurry of emoticons that Kyuhyun scowled at, before stowing his phone back into his backpack and shoving his hands into the depths of his coat again.
He had just started to prepare dinner when his phone rang again. This time it was a text from Donghae, who had simply sent a face winking up at him. Kyuhyun rolled his eyes and put the phone right back down on the counter. He was marinating the chicken when his phone exploded with rings. He washed his hands and looked at it again (because knowing when Younha was coming home was of utmost importance), but all of them were either from Donghae or Siwon, alternating between different happy faces.
> Shut up oh my god.
He tapped out the message as quickly as he could, and went back to stir frying. Kyuhyun was an adept cook, but more out of necessity than anything else. Younha had been busy with writing (and now directing) her play the past few years, and even if she wasn’t she would never deign to cook for him just because he was lazy to. The phone kept ringing, though, and Kyuhyun had shoved the remaining vegetables back into the fridge when he finally picked it up again.
Donghae > OMG U R LOSING TO JONGDAE HOW
Siwon > Please, I can help you with proposal tips and plans
Donghae > HES 3 YRS YOUNGR I MEAN
Siwon > Don’t be shy!
Ryeowook > Hey did you lock the lab doors again I WAS INSIDE ALRIGHT
Kyuhyun squeezed his eyes very tightly shut and tried to think of happy thoughts, like chocolate-covered dried mangoes, grilled Korean beef, and Younha’s face. It took a while but he finally managed to suppress the urge to wreck his phone (newly bought two weeks ago), and turned his attention back to mashing potatoes.
Ryeowook > DUDE I MEAN IF THE SECURITY PERSON HAS TO BAIL ME OUT ONE MORE TIME YOU ARE SO DEAD
Younha found it funny that everyone was expressing so much concern over their relationship status. She and Kyuhyun had been dating since the first year of high school (he met her in orchestra tryouts, he played the violin, she played the cello, and he totally had a crush on her the moment they locked eyes), and were pretty much the only couple among their mutual friends to survive through both high school and college. They were quite the endearing sort of couple, so she understood their concern to be one of determination not to allow them to fall behind a much younger pair.
“Oh hey Yeeun!” Younha had picked up the call right after exiting a prop review for her play. They were making good progress. “What’s up?”
“Hey unnie! So did I catch you at a good time? You’re not busy now or anything?” Yeeun’s voice crackled over the line, sunny and bright. “I mean, that would be so bad if I did.”
“Nope,” she rummaged around in her bag for her purse, “I’m just going for lunch. Anything I can help you out with?”
Yeeun was part of their so-called New York Contingent, a group of steadily growing students from their old high school who had come to college in New York City. Younha was one of the earliest, and Yeeun had arrived a few years after.
“Okay so, I totally want you to know that grown men, all twenty two years of age, pressured me into making this call. They’re so eight year olds, I’m super sorry unnie!” Yeeun sounded like she wanted to laugh, and Younha smiled, “They made me do this. They’re dumb kids, so they wanted to ask: when are you and Kyuhyun oppa getting married, unnie?”
“Um,” Younha let out a small laugh, “are you sure they forced you into this?”
There was a short pause, before Yeeun begged for more forgiveness. Younha laughed again. It really was funny how everyone wanted to nudge them in the direction of marriage. For one thing, she was cool with their current situation. That no one really knew anything about, because the both of them weren’t as into social media as the rest were. She had only sent the snapshot of Jongdae and Liyin’s engagement announcement to Kyuhyun because Sunye had sent it to her first.
“Seriously unnie, you and Kyuhyun oppa are so… into each other’s groove. If you two don’t get married soon I don’t know who else will. Legit. For real.” Yeeun declared with a sense of finality. Younha let out a very small sigh. So this was how Kyuhyun felt like, but perhaps on a much smaller scale.
“Well first of all, Yeeun, thank you for your concern and support,” Younha had a vague feeling she was sounding way too corporate but it didn’t matter, “but your Kyuhyun oppa and I have way too much on our plates right now. Kyuhyun needs to finish his thesis, and my play’s opening so soon… maybe we’ll think about it later, I don’t know. But first, we’ve got to finish up whatever we’ve already started. Then plans can be made for later.”
“Got it.” Yeeun sounded extremely victorious. “I love you, unnie!”
“You’re welcome?” She had no idea why she was being thanked, but put the call down and made her way to Columbia afterwards. She had made salads for both Kyuhyun (who had whined non-stop for an hour after being in a rut last night) and her, and his lunch break only lasted an hour and a half at most.
Younha had no idea that within five minutes, a new version of this conversation began making its rounds around their entire alumni system.
“Okay so now I have Sungmin on my back as well?” Kyuhyun lobbed his phone and it landed on their sofa, bouncing in sad, stubby arcs. “Don’t they have things to do? Lives to live?!”
Now everyone assumed that once his thesis had been submitted and approved, he would pop the big question. Kyuhyun didn’t blame Younha for telling Yeeun what she had; he only blamed himself for not being able to be there at the scene and snatching the phone out of her hands at the very moment. Younha gave him a look from over the kitchen counter, where she was making one of her Korean stews. She was a very good cook, but only yielded to him whenever he went into playing cute overdrive.
“And don’t you have a thesis to write?” Younha asked while trying to reach for one of the upper shelves. She was very short and this apartment originally belonged to an old couple from Norway. There was no way she was going to get what she needed, so Kyuhyun stood up with a sigh and ambled over to where she was. He grabbed it for her and immediately slunk next to her with a loud groan. “That’s you, right?”
“I only need like, two percent more before completion.” Kyuhyun flung his arms up in the air and Younha flicked his nose with a finger. “Ouch!”
“Then get to it. I’ll call you when the jjiggae is done.” She motioned towards his computer, where his thesis was staring back at him in black font. Kyuhyun didn’t want to move, until the Skype ringing tone started blaring at top volume. He squinted and could make out a vague outline of Siwon’s new haircut in the tiny icon.
No way. No way was he even going to pick up that call.
But Younha was glaring at him again while vigorously stirring her pot, and he resigned himself to walking back as slovenly as possible, and clicking on the green video call icon. It took a few moments, but Siwon’s face soon popped up in all of his iMac’s high definition glory. Kyuhyun narrowed his eyes. Guy was still as good looking as ever and it made him cross.
“Hello! My friend! Kyuhyun!” Siwon moved in as close to the camera as he could so Kyuhyun could only see his eyes. He scowled. “It’s so good to see you again!”
“Cut the crap.” He wasn’t in a good mood at all. “And to the chase, please.”
“Well, seeing how you haven’t been replying my texts, I thought this was the next best possible way of communication.” Siwon had moved away from the camera now and shrugged. “Hi Kirsten!”
Younha had come over, one hand tucked in her apron, and was waving to Siwon over Kyuhyun’s shoulder. Kyuhyun pressed her arm down irritably.
“Dude, you know her real name.” Kyuhyun snapped. “Don’t be annoying.”
“You’re the annoying one,” Younha frowned, “that’s my real name. It’s in our--my passport.”
Kyuhyun looked at her before taking a moment to think about it. “Yeah that’s right.” He shrugged, and Younha let out a very audible sigh. Siwon was smiling way too widely on his side, and Kyuhyun frowned right in his face.
“Anyhow, when are you guys available? Check your schedulers!” Siwon pressed on, and Kyuhyun stared at the screen idly. Siwon had always been the star pupil, super organised and neat and tidy, but just a little lacking in common sense. Kyuhyun wanted to say in bucket loads, but refrained because they were friends.
“Schedulers, oh god.” Kyuhyun sniffed, “Not everyone is as old school as you are.”
“Old school, but a good tool.” Siwon smiled his winning smile, and Younha laughed. Kyuhyun couldn’t believe he was rhyming. He wanted to give Siwon a good old smack in the bum, but he was in Philadelphia and the drive would be too troublesome just for one revenge antic.
“I don’t know, Siwon,” Younha was using Kyuhyun as a crutch now, leaning over him almost entirely, “we’re both kind of busy lately. Kyuhyun needs to finish his thesis, and I really need to focus on my play. It’s going to stage soon.”
Siwon clucked his tongue and shook a finger. Kyuhyun resisted the urge to roll his eyes as hard as he could.
“Kirsten, Younha, my dear, it only takes zeal to achieve what one wants! And in this case, it’s only a drive down to Philly. Come home! Visit me! And maybe your family.”
“Dude,” Kyuhyun jabbed a finger at his camera and Siwon immediately sprung backwards. Siwon was never good with electronics (his brother Junmyeon had to guide him through an iPhone even), and he probably thought that his finger was going to come through the screen for real just now. The thought of that made Kyuhyun unspeakably happy. “You have got to stop. We said we’re busy! Stop bothering us!”
“But,” Siwon looked too upset, “but I wanted to prepare a dinner for you guys. With steak! And roses! And all!”
“Not interested.” Kyuhyun made a mildly rude hand gesture and watched Siwon recoil in horror. Siwon was also overwhelmingly religious and was frequently appalled by the way their friends communicated with each other. Younha gave him a sound smack on the back, and he reeled in pain. “Ouch!”
“Siwon, thanks,” Younha set out to salvage the situation, “but now’s not a very good time. If you ever come up to New York though, we should have lunch together or something. Kyuhyun has an hour and a half off for that.”
Siwon perked up considerably after that, and continued to ask about them and their lives, but mostly just about their lack of a marriage license. Kyuhyun really didn’t understand why everyone was so concerned: maybe they had nothing else better to do? Maybe Wharton’s MBA programme was too easy for Siwon, so he had hours and hours of free time thinking up marriage proposal plans for others?
He and Younha had been dating for almost a decade now, and the both of them always had had a mutual, unspoken consensus about most things. He understood the need for concern among their friends (Kyuhyun both loved and hated the Asian concept of love), but also not why it mattered so much. He figured it was just because they had been dating the longest and hence the easiest to nudge along into marriage. But that didn’t mean that he had to go along willingly or not be annoyed by it.
“Anyhow,” Kyuhyun jabbed his finger into the camera again and Siwon cowered, “I’m a theoretical physicist, so I really don’t need more people telling me mere theories on what to do with my life, okay?”
Siwon stared at him for a long, hurt moment, before breaking into what looked suspiciously like a pout.
“You mean…” Siwon had a hard time searching for a more severe sounding word, since he never cursed, “You mean… boy!”
Then the call got hung up and Kyuhyun stared at the empty conversation window for five seconds before bursting into loud, uncontrollable shrieks of laughter. Younha pushed his forehead away, before starting to laugh alongside as well. The look on Siwon’s face was a classic and Kyuhyun was sure he would never forget it for the rest of his life.
Donghae > IM TELLIN U URE LOSIN OUT
Sungmin > Proposing is like the easiest thing on earth SHE HAS A PLAY YOU HAVE A GREAT CHANCE
Siwon > You’re a mean boy but I’m just saying steak and roses? Way to go.
Kyuhyun was working on his reference list when his phone vibrated again. He had had a field day of deleting messages when they poured in (from mostly Siwon, Donghae, and Sungmin no doubt about that), but they didn’t stop coming in anyway. He’d thought that only the guys from their year would dare to ask him questions about his marriage, but now texts from the younger kids were trickling in as well. Kyuhyun wanted to know who gave them the green light for this (it was most likely Siwon).
Sehun > Hi hyung what is this about you getting married??????
He looked back at his list, then at his phone, then at his list again.
> The same thing I hear about you and Sohee
Sehun never replied after that, but Kyuhyun went right back to updating his reference list. His thesis was largely done and all that was left was more refinement of content and the printing and binding. Kyuhyun had chosen to be a theoretical physicist because he wasn’t an experiment sort of person. He didn’t need to explain his choice to Younha when they both matriculated at Columbia: they both kind of already knew what the other needed and wanted to do, and respected that. Sometimes he felt a little afraid, even, of how well they knew each other without needing to say anything. This was one of the main reasons why Kyuhyun was so irritated by all the meddling--Younha didn’t need any distractions right now, even though she entertained all the concern with finesse and grace, and all of them were bothering her because he was the Hulk or something.
There was another buzz, and Kyuhyun turned only a crick to glance at the screen:
Donghae > OPN THE DOR
What on earth?
Younha unlocked the door, removed her boots, and stepped into their living room to find Kyuhyun with the foulest expression on his face, surrounded by Donghae and Siwon, who were clinking champagne glasses. Siwon was holding the bottle.
“Younha! Hi!” Donghae rushed over first to give her a hug and a peck on the cheek. She saw the scowl on Kyuhyun’s face grow even deeper and laughed. “Long time no see!”
“It has been a long time,” she placed her bag down and waved at Siwon, “whatever are you doing here?”
“You and the mean boy wouldn’t drive down, so I decided come up instead.” Siwon volunteered an answer, and Kyuhyun grabbed his glass. Siwon merely gave him an indulging sort of smile.
Younha didn’t need much to piece everything together: Siwon had driven up, gone to Donghae’s place, then marched over with a bottle of champagne and roses in hand. What he had not manage to materialise in Philadelphia, Siwon was determined to create in New York. She turned over to look at Kyuhyun, who had slid up to her and now was holding one of her hands so he wouldn’t grab his friends by the collars and show them the way out.
“He said his thesis was done, though.” Donghae looked completely at home as he tilted his glass towards Kyuhyun. Sometimes it was hard to believe that this was the same guy who devoted most of his time to charity work.
“I didn’t say you could come over, though.” Kyuhyun mimicked from over at the dining table where they were both seated. Donghae shrugged and Kyuhyun shook a silent fist in his direction. “You two are worse than robbers.”
“I beg your pardon, my friend. Look at what we’ve set up for you!” Siwon made a sound of disapproval and swept his arm across the insane spread. Younha knew that Siwon always kept to his word, but not to this extent: steak, mash, twenty year old wine, two pink candles, and a monstrosity of a rose bouquet. She sighed under her breath and squeezed Kyuhyun’s hand in silent support.
Donghae waved his glass. “And champagne too!”
Kyuhyun’s eyes darted from Donghae to Siwon, then back again. Younha knew that he was planning a best course of action that preferably involved a lot of heavy lifting and throwing, but these were their friends. Misguided and overenthusiastic, yes, but still their friends all the way from their high school days together.
“Uh,” she began slowly, like when she would while giving stage directions so she wouldn’t come off as too intimidating, “thanks for the surprise, guys. Really. But Kyuhyun’s not all quite done with his thesis yet, so he probably needs to get back to it. Right?”
Kyuhyun nodded as fast as he could, resembling a too-tall sort of bobblehead doll. Siwon merely looked at them lovingly, like they were children fibbing to get out of physical education class. Donghae waved his glass around in the air again. Younha took a deep breath.
“It’s okay, don’t be shy. I still have more stuff lined up after this.” Siwon actually winked, and patted his shirt pocket, where there was a suspiciously square shaped bulge. Her eyes widened in horror and she felt Kyuhyun’s hand go limp in hers. Oh god, he could not have gone as far as buying--
“Ok. Guys. Sorry about this but,” Younha stood up so suddenly that Kyuhyun was almost flung out of his chair, “you guys need to leave now. Or else I’m dragging each of you out. Personally. Myself.”
Siwon froze. Donghae’s glass was still moving about in the air.
Younha exhaled very, very slowly.
“And then she dragged us out! By our collars! Like what she said! Can you believe it?” Siwon gesticulated wildly as everyone listened in rapt attention. It was Liyin’s solo recital today, and everyone in New York who could make it had driven up to Boston for the event. Younha watched as Siwon reenacted the scene of her throwing the both of them out of their apartment for the third time in the same hour. He wasn’t going to let it go.
Someone slung an arm over her shoulder, and she turned to find Stephanie grinning widely at her. “At least all that taekwondo school team training came to good use, eh?” Younha laughed, and shook her head. Stephanie had always been a good friend, since they took so many classes together in high school, and even now that she lived in Boston as a professional ballerina, Younha still kept in close contact with her.
“Siwon exaggerates. You know how he’s like.” She shrugged, and Stephanie nodded. They were waiting outside the recital hall and in line to get in. Kyuhyun and Jongdae had left to get everyone some coffee a while ago, and she spotted the top of Kyuhyun’s head as they weaved through the crowd to get back to them.
Everyone got a cup of coffee, and Kyuhyun shared one with Younha. He wasn’t very picky about his brew, except that it needed cream and sugar. Sunye had come over to them now, with a very apologetic Donghae in tow, and apologised too many times for Donghae’s invasion of their apartment.
“He’s so…” Sunye struggled to find a word, and he marvelled at how alike she and Siwon were sometimes, “so… rash. I’m really sorry, unnie and oppa.”
Donghae gave him an awkward bump on the shoulder, and all was forgiven after that. Kyuhyun counted the number of people that had driven over to watch Liyin in action: he and Younha had finally been able to make time, as had Sunye, Donghae, Siwon, Jia, Feifei, Yeeun, Junho, Yubin, and Taecyeon. These were kids he’d hung out with sometimes in high school, but then Kyuhyun was also too nerdy to tolerate at other times so he stuck mostly with Younha, who didn’t mind his mathlete skills.
Jongdae was chattering nonstop away to Jia and Feifei, who were sipping at coffee to their right. Kyuhyun could catch snatches of their conversation, like “He has a girlfriend?” and “What, Kris is--”, but was largely uninterested in Jia and her beef with Kris. There was a huge blowout on Instagram, apparently, but Kyuhyun had been too busy living an adult life with his thesis that he’d missed out completely on it.
“Can you finish this?” Younha held up the cup to him, and he took it over. She wasn’t a very coffee person, he more so than her, and she liked tea with milk more instead. But rehearsals for the Off-Broadway play debut were taxing, and Younha had been drinking more caffeinated drinks than usual. “I’m full.”
“Okay, at least you’ll sleep in the car when we drive back.” He placed a protective hand on her head, and she leaned in for a quick rest until the line started moving again, and they were ushered into the hall.
Jongdae was a very professional photographer, even though he got reminded to turn off his flash multiple times, and Kyuhyun had to laugh at the poses he contorted himself into to take pictures from different angles. He was a dedicated boyfriend, though, that Kyuhyun had to give to him. Younha had fallen asleep in the seat beside him, and Kyuhyun adjusted her head so that she would sleep more comfortably.
Siwon had slipped him a mysterious gift just before they entered the hall, and it turned out to be the box that he had in his pocket the day Younha went all She-Hulk on them. Kyuhyun opened it before the lights went off, and it was his cue cards for Physics AP back in senior year. Siwon had borrowed and never returned them, now that he thought about it, and while the front of the cards were crammed with notes about equations and his current lifeblood, the back was different. He’d written Younha’s name in multiple colours, and on the very last one, this: If I ever become who I think I’ll be, I’ll name a theory after you.
It was the little details like this that made the relationship for him, as he’d reflected so many times. Their friends liked to make a big deal out of their romance (every year they passed the rest would celebrate online with too much fanfare) because it seemed to go on for so long, but to Kyuhyun it was like any other: why wouldn’t it go on forever? This was a relationship he wanted and cherished, and he knew exactly what to do with it if it was together with her. He knew what to do even without people nudging him too obviously from the side. Things that needed to be done had already been accomplished. Kyuhyun was a person who did things rather than talk about them, something that was at odds with being a theoretical physicist, and something Younha (and her alone) often laughed at him for. But so it was, and Kyuhyun decided that something needed to be done about their friends’ unchecked and uninhibited passion for pushing them into the stage of marriage.
First of all, though, he really needed to print and bind his thesis. Then, do something about everything else.
On the opening day of Younha’s play, he handbound an entire bouquet of sunflowers and delivered it specially backstage. She was pleasantly surprised enough, and pecked him on the lips for the nice present. He then bent down and whispered his plan in her ear, and while she didn’t necessarily like the approach, she approved anyway. And he already knew that she would, because he’d went ahead and did all the necessary preparations first.
“That is so not cool, Cho Kyuhyun.” She said and held the bouquet close. “At least make a show of asking me first, potato.”
He laughed and kissed her again. “Break a leg.”
Kyuhyun was never good at the arts, but he found the play to be irrevocably a masterpiece, with no bias involved at all. All of their friends in New York had come down to catch the opening as well, and Sunye was telling him about how wonderful she found one line to be, when Younha arrived, fresh from her curtain call.
“You were wonderful, nuna!” Taecyeon gave her two thumbs up and Kyuhyun thumbed him right back. Younha smiled the widest he had seen her in a while as she collected bouquets from everyone who had one for her, and Kyuhyun was relieved that she was so happy. The play was her baby, quite literally, and Younha was a perfectionist who had supernaturally high standards for herself and herself alone. Now it seemed that she was satisfied with the results, at least.
While everyone was busy surrounding her with praises of how much they liked the main character (“He was so hot!” was definitely said by Jia, and “Why didn’t they end up together but if they did I’d have cried more!” was Yubin for sure) and the plot (“Masterful” was Sunye’s take on it), Kyuhyun reached into his backpack and retrieved a huge stack of photocopies. He handed them out to the first person he saw--Junho--and passed them along. Soon enough everyone had a copy.
“Answer to what you’ve been asking us for the past three months.” He took a few of the heaviest bouquets from Younha, who couldn’t contain her smile already. It was a small secret that only the both of them and their families knew. Now everyone had a official copy of the truth.
Yeeun was the first one to look up in disbelief. “Wait. Cho Kyuhyun?”
“Yup.” He nodded.
“And Kirsten Younha Go.” This time it was Yubin.
“Yup.” She nodded, almost completely obscured by the bouquets she was holding. “I told you that was my real name.”
“Married 21 November??” Siwon’s eyes looked like they were bugged out. “2009? Two thousand and nine?????”
“Yup.” Kyuhyun nodded quite officially.
“You two have been married for four years?” Donghae’s voice was slow, just like the light of truth was dawning upon him. “What the--”
“Two thousand and nine????????? Two thousand and NINE????”
Siwon was repeating himself so many times that Kyuhyun didn’t bother to answer him again. But now everyone had erupted into a mad chaos that enveloped Younha in questions so thick and many that she was now raising a bouquet in SOS. Kyuhyun pursed his lips in great satisfaction, and started wading towards his now officially public wife of four years.
Minseok > 2009 HYUNG HOW COULD YOU
Segyun > I feel so betrayed
Kris > Bl8ted congratz
Lu Han > I… don’t know what to say they just asked me to text you hyung
Jongdae > HYUNG TIPS ON STAYING PRIVATE PLS I WANT TO EMULATE YOU FOR LIFE
> Shut up. But thanks.
> Jongdae: it’s impossible don’t even try.