You Are Hiding A Secret (Kyuhyun/Sungmin, PG13) for bomchii_97
Title: You Are Hiding A Secret
Author: mysapphiresky
Recipient: bomchii_97
Characters/Pairings: Kyuhyun, Sungmin, Junghoon / KyuMin
Rating: PG-13
Genre(s): Angst, Romance
A young man, clad in a leather jacket and skin-tight jeans, with sunglasses hiding his eyes, slinked down the streets of Seoul. It was rush hour, which made his espionage that much easier. He glanced around furtively to make sure no one was following him, and hurriedly slipped past the corner junction into the side street that led to a series of stand-alone bungalows near the outskirts of Seoul.
He made sure to keep to the side of the road, almost in the shadows, pressing his body to the walls as much as he could. With every turn he made, he made sure to check that no one was following him, and finally he came to his destination. The decorative iron gate loomed up high before him, but that was no challenge for him. With one easy jump, he scaled half the gate, and easily scampered up the rest of the structure and leapt lightly down on the other side, landing on his feet and immediately doing a full body roll to hide under the nearest bush.
“Lee Sungmin, what the hell are you doing?” a laughing voice suddenly came from the open doorway of the bungalow, and Sungmin immediately crawled out from under the bush, sheepishly giggling and brushing stray leaves and twigs off his jacket. “You should try it sometime, it’s fun,” he insisted, striding easily up to his boyfriend and pressing a kiss to his cheek.
“I’d probably break my hip if I tried climbing over the gate, and then where would that leave you? No one to satisfy your voracious appetite in bed cos I’d be nursing a broken hip. Just because your car’s in the workshop doesn’t mean you get to drag me into your little spy games,” Kyuhyun countered, folding his arms as he led the way into their house. Sungmin trailed after him and kicked the door shut behind him, pouting and whining. “But Kyuuuu!”
“You don’t ‘but Kyu’ me,” Kyuhyun said, turning away from Sungmin to hide his fond grin, “it’s ‘Sir Cho Kyuhyun’ to you.” Sungmin’s eyes widened just a fraction, and all of a sudden he was on the floor, rolling around in laughter while clutching his stomach. “Ow, ow, ow,” he gasped, eyes clenched shut in mirth, “I think I pulled something laughing.”
“Serves you right,” Kyuhyun chuckled, pulling Sungmin to his feet and pushing him back against the nearest wall. He captured Sungmin’s lips and kissed them soundly, hands roaming over Sungmin’s arms and under his jacket and shirt. Sungmin immediately moaned as his hands found their place on Kyuhyun’s chest, slipped up under his shirt so his fingers were caressing bare flesh.
Just as things were about to get heated, Kyuhyun’s handphone rang, and Sungmin groaned and pushed him away. “Damnit,” he grumbled, meandering his way to the couch, looking so thoroughly kissed and so thoroughly put out that Kyuhyun had half a mind to ignore his phone call and continue ravishing Sungmin’s gorgeous body. Unfortunately, he was expecting an urgent phone call from his manager that he had to answer, so his plans for Sungmin had to wait.
While Kyuhyun was talking to his manager- and apparently his producer too- on the phone, Sungmin shrugged off his jacket and sprawled out on the couch with his eyes closed. “This is what I get for dating a famous person,” he grumbled, wriggling around to find the most comfortable spot, “we never get any privacy.”
He felt a finger poking his side, and he opened his eyes to see Kyuhyun pouting down at him and wrinkling his nose. He chuckled, knowing Kyuhyun had heard him even though it seemed like he was completely focused on his call. “You’re lucky I love you,” he said softly, and Kyuhyun’s face immediately lit up in the widest smile. “Love you too,” Kyuhyun mouthed, returning his attention to his call with much more vigour.
Sungmin couldn’t help smiling as well as he climbed off the couch and headed into the kitchen to cook dinner. Even though he and Kyuhyun were worlds apart, they still got along together like the best of friends, the closest of family, and the most loving of fiancés. Kyuhyun was a famous singer and musical actor, while Sungmin was merely a surgeon, but together they made the perfect pair.
Their relationship was kept top secret, of course. Kyuhyun’s manager knew, and both their families, and their closest friends, but no one else. This was for the sole reason that the media would have a field day if singer Cho Kyuhyun were revealed to be dating a commoner, and a male at that. Kyuhyun had insisted at first that he didn’t care about the backlash- which they both knew would be immense- but Sungmin was the one who wouldn’t allow Kyuhyun to jeopardize his position just for their relationship. For this reason, the barest minimum of people knew they had been dating for three years, were living together, and were engaged to be married the next year.
Sungmin smiled fondly at the platinum band that adorned his ring finger. There was a purple amethyst on the underside of the ring, Kyuhyun’s birthstone, and on the underside of the identical ring Kyuhyun wore was a deep red garnet. He stopped in the middle of chopping vegetables and pressed a kiss to the back of his finger, right on the ring, and almost at the same time a pair of arms wrapped around his waist.
Sungmin yelped softly and dropped the knife in his hand, but immediately relaxed into Kyuhyun’s hold. “If I lose a finger you’ll have to give me one of yours,” he threatened, wrinkling his nose up at the taller man. Kyuhyun grinned and nuzzled Sungmin’s nose with his own. “I’d give you my life if you asked for it,” he said softly, his voice breaking slightly with emotion, “god, I love you so much.”
“As I love you,” Sungmin said, turning around and wrapping his arms around Kyuhyun’s neck. Dinner preparations lay forgotten on the kitchen table as Sungmin leaned up and pressed his lips to Kyuhyun’s; just lips, no tongue or teeth or groping or teasing. “Oh how I love you.”
“Let’s go public,” Kyuhyun said between kisses, and Sungmin immediately froze. “We can’t,” he said pleadingly, “think of your future!” “I am; that’s why I want to tell the world,” was Kyuhyun’s answer. Sungmin couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face, but his eyes were still swimming with worry. “You will never be forgiven if you tell the world the truth,” he said anxiously, brushing his fingers over Kyuhyun’s cheek.
“Maybe I don’t want to be forgiven,” Kyuhyun said, leaning into Sungmin’s touch despite the smell of raw vegetables that wafted past his nostrils. He took Sungmin’s hand, the one with the ring, and kissed the palm gently. “Maybe all I want is to be able to walk with you on the streets and sit with you in movie theaters and cafes without people pointing fingers and gossiping about who the unknown man with Cho Kyuhyun is. Maybe I don’t care about how people are going to judge me and hate me because I’m gay and in love with the perfect human being. Maybe all I want is to shout out from the rooftops that I’m dating and engaged to Lee Sungmin, who has made me happier than I have ever been in my life.”
Sungmin was smiling from ear to ear, and his eyes were glistening with tears of joy. “I’d love that too, Kyu,” he said softly, resting their foreheads together, “I’m just afraid that you’ll regret it in future.” Kyuhyun shook his head resolutely. “I’m certain I won’t,” he said. “I’ll talk to Junghoon tomorrow, and maybe see how I can… let my adoring fans down as gently as possible,” he added with a chuckle.
Sungmin nodded, pulling out of Kyuhyun’s embrace and pushing him away gently. “Now let me get back to making dinner, or both of us will go hungry tonight!” Kyuhyun stole a piece of carrot and disappeared from the kitchen, leaving Sungmin staring at him in mock exasperation. They were so distracted that neither of them had heard the faint clicks from outside the kitchen window, or the rustling of the bushes as someone snuck out of the bungalow grounds.
The next day, when Sungmin pulled open the front door to collect the morning newspaper, he found himself blinded by a series of flashes that exploded the moment he appeared in the doorway. “Sir, is it true that you and superstar Cho Kyuhyun are in a monogamous relationship?” “Sir, how long have you two been a couple?” “Sir, there have been rumours that you two are already married, and are planning to adopt kids together. Is it true?” “Sir, please clarify the rumours that you have seduced Cho Kyuhyun into a relationship with you!”
“What the-“ Sungmin gasped, shielding his eyes from the multitude of camera flashes. His knees buckled and he clutched at the doorway for support, the never-ending stream of questions jarring to his ears. As he glanced downward, his eyes caught sight of the headlines on the newspaper, and he picked it up with another gasp of horror. Right in the middle of the folded grey paper was a huge photo of him and Kyuhyun from just last night, caught in an embrace in their kitchen with their hands clasped together and their lips touching. The ring on his finger was clearly visible in the photo, and even though Kyuhyun’s hand wasn’t visible, his fans had seen it often enough to know that there was a ring on his finger as well.
As Sungmin stood frozen in place, a loud, authoritative voice came from the bottom of the driveway. “Hey, hey, what’s all this? Do I need to call the police? You’re trespassing on private property, and I have the right to sue all of you for breaking and entering, and for invasion of rights.” As if on cue, the reporters parted to reveal a man that Sungmin had grown accustomed to seeing- Kim Junghoon, Kyuhyun’s manager.
Followed closely by the imposing man was Kyuhyun himself, a scowl etched deeply on his face as he followed Junghoon up the driveway. Junghoon grabbed Sungmin’s arm and pulled him into the house, while behind him Kyuhyun slammed the door closed, looking more pissed off than Sungmin had ever seen him.
“Fucking reporters,” he snarled as soon as the door was shut and locked behind him, “and fucking paparazzi.” He grabbed Sungmin from Junghoon and pulled him into a tight hug, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. Junghoon shook his head and poured Sungmin a glass of water, which Sungmin downed thankfully. He’d never had to face that much press at once before, and the reason why they were even there just made it worse.
“We’ll be holding a press conference tomorrow to announce Kyuhyun’s relationship,” Junghoon informed Sungmin as soon as he was calm enough to stand properly, “but you don’t have to be there. It’ll just be a short announcement, no sit-down conference or anything fancy.”
“Can- Can I be there?” Sungmin asked hesitantly. “I want to be there.” Kyuhyun grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly, and after a short pause Junghoon nodded. “As long as you think you’re up for it.” “I’m up for it,” Sungmin said firmly, Kyuhyun’s hand restoring his confidence. As long as they had each other, it would be okay.
The press conference went bizarrely well, Sungmin felt, although it might have helped that Kyuhyun’s face was a calm mask that spoke volumes. “Do not challenge us,” was written all over it, and the finality of Kyuhyun’s statement made it clear that no questions were to be asked. It was clear that none of the reporters dared to ask radical questions for fear of being on the receiving end of Kyuhyun’s known sharp tongue, and so all in all, the press conference went as smoothly as could be possible considering the circumstances.
However, the days after that weren’t as easy going. People started flocking to the hospital, not because they were ill, but just to try and meet superstar Cho Kyuhyun’s fiancé. Sungmin’s handphone started ringing non-stop, until he had no choice but to change his number, and even then the calls barely diminished. It was like Sungmin was a star himself, and it both confused and frightened him.
Even after weeks passed, the feeling of uneasiness didn’t ease up in the slightest. In fact, if possible, they got even worse. Sungmin was absolutely certain there was a group of teenage girls stalking him, because everywhere he went he saw the same familiar faces that he was pretty sure he’d never met before. Their house had clearly been broken into at least twice, but all that was missing were personal items belonging to both him and Kyuhyun. He suspected it was the same group of fangirls, since he’d spotted one of them loitering around the area a few times.
He never did tell Kyuhyun any of this, though, because Kyuhyun had enough on his plate dealing with the media and being under an even stronger spotlight. He was struggling with record and broadcasting companies that hadn’t taken kindly to his coming out, so Sungmin didn’t want to heap any more onto his already overflowing pile of worries. Instead, he made sure to be extra careful, locking every single door and closing every window when no one was at home, and replacing everything that he knew was taken so Kyuhyun wouldn’t realise anything was amiss.
However, he couldn’t keep secrets forever, and eventually Kyuhyun had to find out. Call it the worst or the best luck, but Kyuhyun arrived home just as two girls were climbing over the back fence, but by the time he spotted them, they were already down the other side and running for their lives. Taken aback, he quickly entered the house and checked through it, and realised that both his and Sungmin’s closets had been rummaged through- including their underwear drawers. A curse escaped his lips and he immediately dialed Junghoon’s number.
When Sungmin came home, he was greeted by two worried faces. Kyuhyun quickly informed him about the break-in, and of course the first thing that instinctively came out of Sungmin’s mouth was a dismayed, “again?”
This made both Kyuhyun and Junghoon freeze in place. “What do you mean, ‘again’?” Kyuhyun demanded, and Sungmin flinched. “Nothing! I mean, fans have broken into other idols’ houses before, haven’t they? It was only a-a matter of t-time before…” he trailed off under the intensity of Kyuhyun’s gaze.
“You know you can’t lie to me, Min. Why didn’t you tell me this happened before?” Kyuhyun demanded, stepping forward and taking Sungmin’s hand. Sungmin shivered, but shrugged. “They didn’t t-take anything of importance, so I didn’t want to w-worry you,” he said, not looking fully at Kyuhyun. “There’s stuff you’re not telling me,” Kyuhyun said, gripping Sungmin’s wrists tightly and forcing him to look up. “Tell me! What else is there?”
Sungmin chewed his lip anxiously, extremely unwilling to spill the beans, but the longer the three of them waited, the tenser the atmosphere became. Finally, instead of confessing, Sungmin pulled away from Kyuhyun and practically ran into the kitchen. “I’ll make you guys dinner, okay? Junghoon, you’re staying, right?” he called out.
“Lee Sungmin!” Kyuhyun yelled, but Sungmin ignored him. He pulled utensils and ingredients out at a rapid speed, and nearly let out a surprised squeak when his wrists were grabbed again and he was forced to drop the pot he’d been holding. Kyuhyun spun him around and pinned him against the kitchen counter, a dangerous glint in his eye. “Lee Sungmin,” he growled, ignoring Junghoon calling his name softly from the living room.
“Leave me alone! I never asked for any of this mess to happen. I never wanted us to come out! See, this is what happens when other people are let into our private lives. You’re the star, not me! I don’t want people stalking the hospital and calling my private number. I never wanted all this attention! I’m a surgeon, not a singer, and I hate this life!” Sungmin choked out, his voice escalating and breaking more and more with every sentence.
“Do you regret all this, then? Do you regret being with me?” Kyuhyun snapped, perhaps harsher than he meant, and it was that bitter, condescending tone in his voice that made Sungmin reply with a half-hearted, “maybe.” He regretted it immediately after, though, because that widening of Kyuhyun’s eyes and that way Kyuhyun just suddenly broke was almost too much to bear.
“I- fuck, fine. Just-“ Kyuhyun muttered, stepping back and freeing Sungmin from the counter, running his fingers through his hair as he backed up and hit the opposite wall. Sungmin immediately propelled himself forward towards Kyuhyun, apologies on his lips, but Kyuhyun held out both hands to stop him. “Leave me alone,” he snapped, echoing Sungmin’s earlier words, “you’re free to stay in the same house until you choose to move out, you can move your things into the guest room, but just leave me alone.” With that, he left the kitchen and slammed the door behind him, leaving Junghoon to rush into the kitchen just in time to grab hold of Sungmin before he toppled to his knees with a wail of despair.
Anger, betrayal and frustration made the two of them avoid each other completely for almost two weeks. The tension was so bad that even the people around them could tell the difference. Kyuhyun did everything with a strange anger and darkened eyes, and Sungmin’s heart seemed to be no longer in his work. They kept out of each other’s way at home, slept in different rooms, and Kyuhyun even took off his engagement ring.
One night, Kyuhyun woke up in the middle of the night for some reason. He wasn’t sure what had woken him up, but when he listened closely, he could hear screaming coming from somewhere in the house. He quickly climbed out of bed and pulled open his room door, which made it clear that there was screaming and sobbing coming from the guest room where Sungmin slept.
Worried and alarmed, Kyuhyun burst into the guest room without even bothering to knock. Sungmin was tangled in the bedsheets, crying and clawing at his own arms. “I’m sorry!” he was sobbing in his sleep, “please don’t leave me! I promise to change; I promise I’ll be better! Kyu, please, I can’t do this without you!”
Tears were streaming down his face and his entire body was shaking, and he wouldn’t wake up even when Kyuhyun climbed into bed beside him and physically shook him with all his might. “Sungmin!” Kyuhyun screamed loudly into his ear, but Sungmin was trapped in a nightmare of misery and heartbreak, and either couldn’t or wouldn’t hear him.
Finally, with no other ideas left, Kyuhyun leaned in and pinned Sungmin’s arms to the bed, then pressed his lips to Sungmin’s and kissed him deeply. The moment their lips touched, all the fight dropped out of Sungmin and he lay limply on the bed. Slowly, as Kyuhyun ravaged his lips, Sungmin’s eyes fluttered open and he gasped.
Before he could respond, Kyuhyun pulled away. “Finally. I was beginning to think you’d never wake up,” Kyuhyun said, climbing off the bed. Sungmin sat up, never taking his eyes off Kyuhyun, and to Kyuhyun’s horror tears began flooding his eyes again. Sungmin’s arms shot out and wrapped around Kyuhyun’s waist, and he clung to Kyuhyun and buried his face in Kyuhyun’s pajama top. “I’m so sorry,” he sobbed into the dampening material, “please, don’t leave me. I’m so sorry.”
“But you regretted being with me,” Kyuhyun couldn’t help mentioning, and Sungmin flinched. “I never regretted being with you. I only regretted all the extra publicity that meant we didn’t have as much privacy as before. I’d never regret being with you. I love you,” he said, eyes shining with tears and love.
In response, Kyuhyun pulled Sungmin’s arms away from him and stepped out of the guest room. He could sense Sungmin’s body crumpling as he left, but there was something he’d left in his room, and he had to go back and get it.
When he returned, Sungmin was crying into his pillow, but Kyuhyun yanked him up and wiped his cheeks with the backs of his hands. “Min, look at me,” he instructed, and Sungmin scrubbed his eyes with his blanket and did his best to obey.
When Sungmin’s attention was fully on him, Kyuhyun pulled the item he’d retrieved from his pajamas pocket. Sungmin’s eyes widened as Kyuhyun slipped his engagement ring back onto his finger, then pressed a kiss to the shiny band. “I love you,” he said, sitting on the bed facing Sungmin, and pulled him in for a kiss.
With their lips still connected, Kyuhyun pushed Sungmin back onto his bed until Sungmin’s head hit the pillow, then covered Sungmin’s body with his own as he hovered just inches over his fiancé. “I’m sorry,” he said, pressing kisses all over Sungmin’s face and neck, “I’m so sorry.”
Neither of them ended up getting much sleep that night, but it was okay, because they were back together with no more misunderstandings between them. Junghoon was called over the moment it was a decent hour, and Kyuhyun not so much requested as demanded a week off so he and Sungmin could fly to New York and get married and have a short holiday from all the stress and bad energy.
Left with not so many options, Junghoon finally agreed. “I’ll give you next week off. But before that, you clear your schedules!” he nearly shrieked, and as Sungmin dialed the hospital to inform them he would be taking next week off, Kyuhyun grinned a bright, shining, ear-to-ear grin and nodded. “Anything for love,” he said, sounding so cheesy that Junghoon couldn’t help but groan.
“Oh, and we’ll need to move to the other end of Seoul. For the sake of my underwear.”
This entry was originally posted at http://sujuexchange.dreamwidth.org/18213.html.
Author: mysapphiresky
Recipient: bomchii_97
Characters/Pairings: Kyuhyun, Sungmin, Junghoon / KyuMin
Rating: PG-13
Genre(s): Angst, Romance
A young man, clad in a leather jacket and skin-tight jeans, with sunglasses hiding his eyes, slinked down the streets of Seoul. It was rush hour, which made his espionage that much easier. He glanced around furtively to make sure no one was following him, and hurriedly slipped past the corner junction into the side street that led to a series of stand-alone bungalows near the outskirts of Seoul.
He made sure to keep to the side of the road, almost in the shadows, pressing his body to the walls as much as he could. With every turn he made, he made sure to check that no one was following him, and finally he came to his destination. The decorative iron gate loomed up high before him, but that was no challenge for him. With one easy jump, he scaled half the gate, and easily scampered up the rest of the structure and leapt lightly down on the other side, landing on his feet and immediately doing a full body roll to hide under the nearest bush.
“Lee Sungmin, what the hell are you doing?” a laughing voice suddenly came from the open doorway of the bungalow, and Sungmin immediately crawled out from under the bush, sheepishly giggling and brushing stray leaves and twigs off his jacket. “You should try it sometime, it’s fun,” he insisted, striding easily up to his boyfriend and pressing a kiss to his cheek.
“I’d probably break my hip if I tried climbing over the gate, and then where would that leave you? No one to satisfy your voracious appetite in bed cos I’d be nursing a broken hip. Just because your car’s in the workshop doesn’t mean you get to drag me into your little spy games,” Kyuhyun countered, folding his arms as he led the way into their house. Sungmin trailed after him and kicked the door shut behind him, pouting and whining. “But Kyuuuu!”
“You don’t ‘but Kyu’ me,” Kyuhyun said, turning away from Sungmin to hide his fond grin, “it’s ‘Sir Cho Kyuhyun’ to you.” Sungmin’s eyes widened just a fraction, and all of a sudden he was on the floor, rolling around in laughter while clutching his stomach. “Ow, ow, ow,” he gasped, eyes clenched shut in mirth, “I think I pulled something laughing.”
“Serves you right,” Kyuhyun chuckled, pulling Sungmin to his feet and pushing him back against the nearest wall. He captured Sungmin’s lips and kissed them soundly, hands roaming over Sungmin’s arms and under his jacket and shirt. Sungmin immediately moaned as his hands found their place on Kyuhyun’s chest, slipped up under his shirt so his fingers were caressing bare flesh.
Just as things were about to get heated, Kyuhyun’s handphone rang, and Sungmin groaned and pushed him away. “Damnit,” he grumbled, meandering his way to the couch, looking so thoroughly kissed and so thoroughly put out that Kyuhyun had half a mind to ignore his phone call and continue ravishing Sungmin’s gorgeous body. Unfortunately, he was expecting an urgent phone call from his manager that he had to answer, so his plans for Sungmin had to wait.
While Kyuhyun was talking to his manager- and apparently his producer too- on the phone, Sungmin shrugged off his jacket and sprawled out on the couch with his eyes closed. “This is what I get for dating a famous person,” he grumbled, wriggling around to find the most comfortable spot, “we never get any privacy.”
He felt a finger poking his side, and he opened his eyes to see Kyuhyun pouting down at him and wrinkling his nose. He chuckled, knowing Kyuhyun had heard him even though it seemed like he was completely focused on his call. “You’re lucky I love you,” he said softly, and Kyuhyun’s face immediately lit up in the widest smile. “Love you too,” Kyuhyun mouthed, returning his attention to his call with much more vigour.
Sungmin couldn’t help smiling as well as he climbed off the couch and headed into the kitchen to cook dinner. Even though he and Kyuhyun were worlds apart, they still got along together like the best of friends, the closest of family, and the most loving of fiancés. Kyuhyun was a famous singer and musical actor, while Sungmin was merely a surgeon, but together they made the perfect pair.
Their relationship was kept top secret, of course. Kyuhyun’s manager knew, and both their families, and their closest friends, but no one else. This was for the sole reason that the media would have a field day if singer Cho Kyuhyun were revealed to be dating a commoner, and a male at that. Kyuhyun had insisted at first that he didn’t care about the backlash- which they both knew would be immense- but Sungmin was the one who wouldn’t allow Kyuhyun to jeopardize his position just for their relationship. For this reason, the barest minimum of people knew they had been dating for three years, were living together, and were engaged to be married the next year.
Sungmin smiled fondly at the platinum band that adorned his ring finger. There was a purple amethyst on the underside of the ring, Kyuhyun’s birthstone, and on the underside of the identical ring Kyuhyun wore was a deep red garnet. He stopped in the middle of chopping vegetables and pressed a kiss to the back of his finger, right on the ring, and almost at the same time a pair of arms wrapped around his waist.
Sungmin yelped softly and dropped the knife in his hand, but immediately relaxed into Kyuhyun’s hold. “If I lose a finger you’ll have to give me one of yours,” he threatened, wrinkling his nose up at the taller man. Kyuhyun grinned and nuzzled Sungmin’s nose with his own. “I’d give you my life if you asked for it,” he said softly, his voice breaking slightly with emotion, “god, I love you so much.”
“As I love you,” Sungmin said, turning around and wrapping his arms around Kyuhyun’s neck. Dinner preparations lay forgotten on the kitchen table as Sungmin leaned up and pressed his lips to Kyuhyun’s; just lips, no tongue or teeth or groping or teasing. “Oh how I love you.”
“Let’s go public,” Kyuhyun said between kisses, and Sungmin immediately froze. “We can’t,” he said pleadingly, “think of your future!” “I am; that’s why I want to tell the world,” was Kyuhyun’s answer. Sungmin couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face, but his eyes were still swimming with worry. “You will never be forgiven if you tell the world the truth,” he said anxiously, brushing his fingers over Kyuhyun’s cheek.
“Maybe I don’t want to be forgiven,” Kyuhyun said, leaning into Sungmin’s touch despite the smell of raw vegetables that wafted past his nostrils. He took Sungmin’s hand, the one with the ring, and kissed the palm gently. “Maybe all I want is to be able to walk with you on the streets and sit with you in movie theaters and cafes without people pointing fingers and gossiping about who the unknown man with Cho Kyuhyun is. Maybe I don’t care about how people are going to judge me and hate me because I’m gay and in love with the perfect human being. Maybe all I want is to shout out from the rooftops that I’m dating and engaged to Lee Sungmin, who has made me happier than I have ever been in my life.”
Sungmin was smiling from ear to ear, and his eyes were glistening with tears of joy. “I’d love that too, Kyu,” he said softly, resting their foreheads together, “I’m just afraid that you’ll regret it in future.” Kyuhyun shook his head resolutely. “I’m certain I won’t,” he said. “I’ll talk to Junghoon tomorrow, and maybe see how I can… let my adoring fans down as gently as possible,” he added with a chuckle.
Sungmin nodded, pulling out of Kyuhyun’s embrace and pushing him away gently. “Now let me get back to making dinner, or both of us will go hungry tonight!” Kyuhyun stole a piece of carrot and disappeared from the kitchen, leaving Sungmin staring at him in mock exasperation. They were so distracted that neither of them had heard the faint clicks from outside the kitchen window, or the rustling of the bushes as someone snuck out of the bungalow grounds.
The next day, when Sungmin pulled open the front door to collect the morning newspaper, he found himself blinded by a series of flashes that exploded the moment he appeared in the doorway. “Sir, is it true that you and superstar Cho Kyuhyun are in a monogamous relationship?” “Sir, how long have you two been a couple?” “Sir, there have been rumours that you two are already married, and are planning to adopt kids together. Is it true?” “Sir, please clarify the rumours that you have seduced Cho Kyuhyun into a relationship with you!”
“What the-“ Sungmin gasped, shielding his eyes from the multitude of camera flashes. His knees buckled and he clutched at the doorway for support, the never-ending stream of questions jarring to his ears. As he glanced downward, his eyes caught sight of the headlines on the newspaper, and he picked it up with another gasp of horror. Right in the middle of the folded grey paper was a huge photo of him and Kyuhyun from just last night, caught in an embrace in their kitchen with their hands clasped together and their lips touching. The ring on his finger was clearly visible in the photo, and even though Kyuhyun’s hand wasn’t visible, his fans had seen it often enough to know that there was a ring on his finger as well.
As Sungmin stood frozen in place, a loud, authoritative voice came from the bottom of the driveway. “Hey, hey, what’s all this? Do I need to call the police? You’re trespassing on private property, and I have the right to sue all of you for breaking and entering, and for invasion of rights.” As if on cue, the reporters parted to reveal a man that Sungmin had grown accustomed to seeing- Kim Junghoon, Kyuhyun’s manager.
Followed closely by the imposing man was Kyuhyun himself, a scowl etched deeply on his face as he followed Junghoon up the driveway. Junghoon grabbed Sungmin’s arm and pulled him into the house, while behind him Kyuhyun slammed the door closed, looking more pissed off than Sungmin had ever seen him.
“Fucking reporters,” he snarled as soon as the door was shut and locked behind him, “and fucking paparazzi.” He grabbed Sungmin from Junghoon and pulled him into a tight hug, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. Junghoon shook his head and poured Sungmin a glass of water, which Sungmin downed thankfully. He’d never had to face that much press at once before, and the reason why they were even there just made it worse.
“We’ll be holding a press conference tomorrow to announce Kyuhyun’s relationship,” Junghoon informed Sungmin as soon as he was calm enough to stand properly, “but you don’t have to be there. It’ll just be a short announcement, no sit-down conference or anything fancy.”
“Can- Can I be there?” Sungmin asked hesitantly. “I want to be there.” Kyuhyun grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly, and after a short pause Junghoon nodded. “As long as you think you’re up for it.” “I’m up for it,” Sungmin said firmly, Kyuhyun’s hand restoring his confidence. As long as they had each other, it would be okay.
The press conference went bizarrely well, Sungmin felt, although it might have helped that Kyuhyun’s face was a calm mask that spoke volumes. “Do not challenge us,” was written all over it, and the finality of Kyuhyun’s statement made it clear that no questions were to be asked. It was clear that none of the reporters dared to ask radical questions for fear of being on the receiving end of Kyuhyun’s known sharp tongue, and so all in all, the press conference went as smoothly as could be possible considering the circumstances.
However, the days after that weren’t as easy going. People started flocking to the hospital, not because they were ill, but just to try and meet superstar Cho Kyuhyun’s fiancé. Sungmin’s handphone started ringing non-stop, until he had no choice but to change his number, and even then the calls barely diminished. It was like Sungmin was a star himself, and it both confused and frightened him.
Even after weeks passed, the feeling of uneasiness didn’t ease up in the slightest. In fact, if possible, they got even worse. Sungmin was absolutely certain there was a group of teenage girls stalking him, because everywhere he went he saw the same familiar faces that he was pretty sure he’d never met before. Their house had clearly been broken into at least twice, but all that was missing were personal items belonging to both him and Kyuhyun. He suspected it was the same group of fangirls, since he’d spotted one of them loitering around the area a few times.
He never did tell Kyuhyun any of this, though, because Kyuhyun had enough on his plate dealing with the media and being under an even stronger spotlight. He was struggling with record and broadcasting companies that hadn’t taken kindly to his coming out, so Sungmin didn’t want to heap any more onto his already overflowing pile of worries. Instead, he made sure to be extra careful, locking every single door and closing every window when no one was at home, and replacing everything that he knew was taken so Kyuhyun wouldn’t realise anything was amiss.
However, he couldn’t keep secrets forever, and eventually Kyuhyun had to find out. Call it the worst or the best luck, but Kyuhyun arrived home just as two girls were climbing over the back fence, but by the time he spotted them, they were already down the other side and running for their lives. Taken aback, he quickly entered the house and checked through it, and realised that both his and Sungmin’s closets had been rummaged through- including their underwear drawers. A curse escaped his lips and he immediately dialed Junghoon’s number.
When Sungmin came home, he was greeted by two worried faces. Kyuhyun quickly informed him about the break-in, and of course the first thing that instinctively came out of Sungmin’s mouth was a dismayed, “again?”
This made both Kyuhyun and Junghoon freeze in place. “What do you mean, ‘again’?” Kyuhyun demanded, and Sungmin flinched. “Nothing! I mean, fans have broken into other idols’ houses before, haven’t they? It was only a-a matter of t-time before…” he trailed off under the intensity of Kyuhyun’s gaze.
“You know you can’t lie to me, Min. Why didn’t you tell me this happened before?” Kyuhyun demanded, stepping forward and taking Sungmin’s hand. Sungmin shivered, but shrugged. “They didn’t t-take anything of importance, so I didn’t want to w-worry you,” he said, not looking fully at Kyuhyun. “There’s stuff you’re not telling me,” Kyuhyun said, gripping Sungmin’s wrists tightly and forcing him to look up. “Tell me! What else is there?”
Sungmin chewed his lip anxiously, extremely unwilling to spill the beans, but the longer the three of them waited, the tenser the atmosphere became. Finally, instead of confessing, Sungmin pulled away from Kyuhyun and practically ran into the kitchen. “I’ll make you guys dinner, okay? Junghoon, you’re staying, right?” he called out.
“Lee Sungmin!” Kyuhyun yelled, but Sungmin ignored him. He pulled utensils and ingredients out at a rapid speed, and nearly let out a surprised squeak when his wrists were grabbed again and he was forced to drop the pot he’d been holding. Kyuhyun spun him around and pinned him against the kitchen counter, a dangerous glint in his eye. “Lee Sungmin,” he growled, ignoring Junghoon calling his name softly from the living room.
“Leave me alone! I never asked for any of this mess to happen. I never wanted us to come out! See, this is what happens when other people are let into our private lives. You’re the star, not me! I don’t want people stalking the hospital and calling my private number. I never wanted all this attention! I’m a surgeon, not a singer, and I hate this life!” Sungmin choked out, his voice escalating and breaking more and more with every sentence.
“Do you regret all this, then? Do you regret being with me?” Kyuhyun snapped, perhaps harsher than he meant, and it was that bitter, condescending tone in his voice that made Sungmin reply with a half-hearted, “maybe.” He regretted it immediately after, though, because that widening of Kyuhyun’s eyes and that way Kyuhyun just suddenly broke was almost too much to bear.
“I- fuck, fine. Just-“ Kyuhyun muttered, stepping back and freeing Sungmin from the counter, running his fingers through his hair as he backed up and hit the opposite wall. Sungmin immediately propelled himself forward towards Kyuhyun, apologies on his lips, but Kyuhyun held out both hands to stop him. “Leave me alone,” he snapped, echoing Sungmin’s earlier words, “you’re free to stay in the same house until you choose to move out, you can move your things into the guest room, but just leave me alone.” With that, he left the kitchen and slammed the door behind him, leaving Junghoon to rush into the kitchen just in time to grab hold of Sungmin before he toppled to his knees with a wail of despair.
Anger, betrayal and frustration made the two of them avoid each other completely for almost two weeks. The tension was so bad that even the people around them could tell the difference. Kyuhyun did everything with a strange anger and darkened eyes, and Sungmin’s heart seemed to be no longer in his work. They kept out of each other’s way at home, slept in different rooms, and Kyuhyun even took off his engagement ring.
One night, Kyuhyun woke up in the middle of the night for some reason. He wasn’t sure what had woken him up, but when he listened closely, he could hear screaming coming from somewhere in the house. He quickly climbed out of bed and pulled open his room door, which made it clear that there was screaming and sobbing coming from the guest room where Sungmin slept.
Worried and alarmed, Kyuhyun burst into the guest room without even bothering to knock. Sungmin was tangled in the bedsheets, crying and clawing at his own arms. “I’m sorry!” he was sobbing in his sleep, “please don’t leave me! I promise to change; I promise I’ll be better! Kyu, please, I can’t do this without you!”
Tears were streaming down his face and his entire body was shaking, and he wouldn’t wake up even when Kyuhyun climbed into bed beside him and physically shook him with all his might. “Sungmin!” Kyuhyun screamed loudly into his ear, but Sungmin was trapped in a nightmare of misery and heartbreak, and either couldn’t or wouldn’t hear him.
Finally, with no other ideas left, Kyuhyun leaned in and pinned Sungmin’s arms to the bed, then pressed his lips to Sungmin’s and kissed him deeply. The moment their lips touched, all the fight dropped out of Sungmin and he lay limply on the bed. Slowly, as Kyuhyun ravaged his lips, Sungmin’s eyes fluttered open and he gasped.
Before he could respond, Kyuhyun pulled away. “Finally. I was beginning to think you’d never wake up,” Kyuhyun said, climbing off the bed. Sungmin sat up, never taking his eyes off Kyuhyun, and to Kyuhyun’s horror tears began flooding his eyes again. Sungmin’s arms shot out and wrapped around Kyuhyun’s waist, and he clung to Kyuhyun and buried his face in Kyuhyun’s pajama top. “I’m so sorry,” he sobbed into the dampening material, “please, don’t leave me. I’m so sorry.”
“But you regretted being with me,” Kyuhyun couldn’t help mentioning, and Sungmin flinched. “I never regretted being with you. I only regretted all the extra publicity that meant we didn’t have as much privacy as before. I’d never regret being with you. I love you,” he said, eyes shining with tears and love.
In response, Kyuhyun pulled Sungmin’s arms away from him and stepped out of the guest room. He could sense Sungmin’s body crumpling as he left, but there was something he’d left in his room, and he had to go back and get it.
When he returned, Sungmin was crying into his pillow, but Kyuhyun yanked him up and wiped his cheeks with the backs of his hands. “Min, look at me,” he instructed, and Sungmin scrubbed his eyes with his blanket and did his best to obey.
When Sungmin’s attention was fully on him, Kyuhyun pulled the item he’d retrieved from his pajamas pocket. Sungmin’s eyes widened as Kyuhyun slipped his engagement ring back onto his finger, then pressed a kiss to the shiny band. “I love you,” he said, sitting on the bed facing Sungmin, and pulled him in for a kiss.
With their lips still connected, Kyuhyun pushed Sungmin back onto his bed until Sungmin’s head hit the pillow, then covered Sungmin’s body with his own as he hovered just inches over his fiancé. “I’m sorry,” he said, pressing kisses all over Sungmin’s face and neck, “I’m so sorry.”
Neither of them ended up getting much sleep that night, but it was okay, because they were back together with no more misunderstandings between them. Junghoon was called over the moment it was a decent hour, and Kyuhyun not so much requested as demanded a week off so he and Sungmin could fly to New York and get married and have a short holiday from all the stress and bad energy.
Left with not so many options, Junghoon finally agreed. “I’ll give you next week off. But before that, you clear your schedules!” he nearly shrieked, and as Sungmin dialed the hospital to inform them he would be taking next week off, Kyuhyun grinned a bright, shining, ear-to-ear grin and nodded. “Anything for love,” he said, sounding so cheesy that Junghoon couldn’t help but groan.
“Oh, and we’ll need to move to the other end of Seoul. For the sake of my underwear.”
This entry was originally posted at http://sujuexchange.dreamwidth.org/18213.html.