Fic: Family Arc II - 39
Title: Family Arc II - 39
Author: vic_sim
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot. I apologise for any incorrect portrayal of people or any inaccurate details mentioned in my story.
Pairing: None at the moment.
Category: Angst/Comfort
Rating: NC-16 (just to be safe)
Summary: The aftermath of the situation
Arc I Arc II
Time passed as they threw ideas back and forth between twelve of them. But nothing truly came out of it, for they were all too worried about Kyuhyun, too confused and panicked over the whole situation to think with a clear mind. All they were getting out were flying tempers and increasing frustration at the fact that they could not do any to help.
“Why not you all head back to your dorm?” Their manager inserted. Shindong turned towards the manager. He had completely forgotten the presence of their manager.
“But what about this?” Sungmin spoke, gesturing to the pile of newspapers lying on the table.
“Leave it to us. I think you should all rest.”
Eeteuk looked around the table. Even though they had slept for the past night, the worried lines on their faces made it seem as if they had not slept for the past three days. No matter how much they wanted to help, they were not helping the situation right now. Although he knew that they would not be getting any sleep even if they went back to their dorm, it would be better being stuck in their dorm instead of in the SM building. Eeteuk knew that the news must have spread by now and soon the building would be swarmed by reporters. Eeteuk nodded.
Heechul turned to their sleeping magnae.
“Kyuhyun ah, wake up.”
It was a whisper, but Kyuhyun opened his eyes immediately. Rubbing his eyes, he blinked at his hyung.
“We’re heading back.”
Kyuhyun looked at Heechul. “But…”
“No buts. Didn’t I say to let us protect you now?”
Kyuhyun was about to protest when a finger was pressed against his lips. He looked at the owner.
“Kyu…”
Kyuhyun found himself staring into Kibum’s eyes, hearing the unspoken words.
Listen to us, please.
Kibum held onto Kyuhyun’s hand as they walked towards the exit. Ryeowook, Yesung, Hankyung, Shindong, Donghae and Eunhyuk had formed a circle around the two, enclosing them in the centre. The rest had walked on ahead, exiting the building before them. Immediately they were swarmed by the reporters who had gathered in front of the building, leaving them to escape unseen. Hurriedly, they piled into the van, moving off instantly after they had all buckled up. The sounds of the reporters fighting to be heard over each other still echoed in the van as they drove off.
Hankyung sat in the car, staring at the trees that moved past. As the colours flew by, he wondered when things had gotten so complicated. He had come from China in pursuit of his dream. In his simplistic thinking, that was all he was going to do - fulfil his dream and make his mother proud. He did not think that he would be embroiled in such situation where he did not know what to do. He shifted his eyes away from the passing scenery to the scene in front of him. His two dongsaengs were trying to get Kyuhyun to sleep, but he was resisting all their efforts. Hankyung sighed, but a small smile forming on his face despite the situation. He did not regret his decision to be here, for he had received something better than his dream - a family.
Yesung clenched his fists tightly. He was not a violent person by nature, but all his mind was filled with right now were thoughts of beating up the father. How dare he call himself a father? He was seething with anger. Glancing at the rear view mirror, Yesung wondered. For someone who does not care for his son, he has a surprising good grasp on Kyuhyun’s character. Yesung knew that there was different ways in which the father could have hurt Kyuhyun, but the method that would have hurt the most was involving them into the equation. He knew - they all knew - that Kyuhyun cared deeply for each of them. And because of the neglect he had faced when he was younger, his concept of self-worth was almost zero. By involving the people close to Kyuhyun, it would hurt Kyuhyun even more for he would definitely blame himself for all the trouble. Yesung knew that they would have a lot to do to convince their magnae that none of it was his fault.
Shindong kept his mind on driving. He did not want to be distracted and tried his hardest to stop his eyes from staying on the rear view mirror for too long. He knew that Kyuhyun was still slightly fearful of the van and he did not want to cause more distress on his dongsaeng now. Even so, Shindong could not stop his eyes from staring at the reflection every time he stopped at a traffic light. It hurt to see what had taken them like eternity to achieve was shattered in a matter of seconds by words of someone who did not deserved anything he had. It hurt especially because they had put in so much effort and some idiot just came along and shattered it. A honk from the back caused Shindong to jerk out of his thoughts. As he stepped on the accelerator, he wondered if things would ever be peaceful again.
Heechul schooled his expression before exiting the building. It was decided that he, Eeteuk, Siwon, Sungmin and Kangin were to be the distraction for the rest to escape. All thirteen of them would have proudly faced the crowd of reporters to show that they had nothing to fear for they had done nothing wrong. But they knew that Kyuhyun was not ready to face the crowd yet, and they had no wish of exposing every member to the reporters. Eeteuk nodded at all of them as they left. Five of them held their heads high and proud for they knew that they had done nothing wrong, that the person at fault was not them.
Immediately, the five of them were surrounded by the reporters. There were so many of them that even with the security around them it was almost important to move any step away from the building. None of them could actually hear what the reporters were shouting over each other, though anyone of them could hazard a guess. They held on to silence as they tried to fight their way through the crowd. They were instructed to not say anything until the company issued an official statement. They would not have said anything even without the instructions as they knew that whatever they said would be twisted to fit the story.
With the security helping them, they managed to push through the crowd and reach the van. They all heaved a sigh when the van finally started out of the compound, glad to be finally out of the vulture hole. Eeteuk immediately began fussing over all of them to make sure that they had all emerged from the crowd fine.
“Heechul ah, are you alright?” Eeteuk asked, hovering in front of the resident Cinderella.
Heechul was accidentally pushed in the midst of the chaos. If it was not for Sungmin’s quick reflexes in catching his arm, Heechul might have been buried in the crowd.
The person in question Heechul rubbed his arm for it was hurting slightly from all the pushing that occurred in the crowd.
“I’m fine, just a little bruised from all the pushing. Are you alright?”
Heechul turned his attention to Eeteuk. He knew that Eeteuk like him would deny any pain in order not to worry anyone, especially when Eeteuk believed that as a leader he should take care of everyone.
“I’m fine.” Eeteuk smiled slightly. The two of them knew that both could be lying to each other, but right now, they only wanted the reassurance. They just wanted to know that some things never changed.
Siwon, giving up his usual strong portrayal, leaned into Sungmin, seeking comfort from his hyung. He wondered when things became so complicated. He wondered why they had so much going on. He wondered when they could just be boys in search of their dreams. He wondered if carrying out their plan would solve the problem. He wondered if they would not hurt Kyuhyun more. He wondered. Siwon wondered as Sungmin’s arms tightened around him.
Sungmin could not say he was startled when he felt someone leaned on him. If Siwon had not moved first, Sungmin would have been the one leaning on Siwon. As his arm went round his dongsaeng, he was glad that at the moment he was not Kyuhyun. He knew that if whatever Kyuhyun had faced in the past year he would have collapsed long before this happened. Sungmin felt so small compared to his dongsaeng, so helpless and so worthless. He wanted to help, they wanted to help, but none of them knew how, none of them had the means to help. They could not turn back time to change everything. Sungmin was willing to do that even if it meant that Super Junior might not be formed, if they would not have meant each other. To him then, as long as his dongsaeng was happy, it did not matter.
Kangin was silent throughout the trip. As they were attempting to rush through the crowd, he truly felt like punching someone. Even though he knew that asking those questions were the jobs of the reporters, he could not comprehend how some of their imagination worked. He could not believe his ears. The only reason that he held back was because he knew that if he gave in to his urge, the whole situation would become irreparable. Kangin turned to face Eeteuk when he felt a touch on his hand. He looked at his leader, the anger deflating within him. He knew that he was not really angry at the reporters. He was not angry at the situation. He was angry over his own inability to do anything to help.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
Hankyung tried to convince Kyuhyun to head to bed first, without waiting for the rest to get back, but Kyuhyun refused. He needed to see that everyone was fine. He needed to know that no one was hurt because of him. He was the first one at the door, yanking the door open as Sungmin was still trying to insert the key. Sungmin stared at Kyuhyun in shock as Kyuhyun’s eyes roamed over him. It was a silent few minutes as Kyuhyun looked over all his hyungs, needing to know that nothing was wrong. Seeing that Kyuhyun was not going to speak, Sungmin spoke up.
“It’s alright Kyu. We’re all fine.”
Steering Kyuhyun away from the door, the rest entered the dorm only to be met by the same treatment from every other member. It was only then that Kyuhyun allowed himself to be led to his room. Although he did not want to leave, he caved in to the look on Ryeowook’s face. Kyuhyun found himself being tucked in by Ryeowook as he and Kibum took a seat next to his bed.
“Hyung, it’s alright. You don’t need to be here.”
Ryeowook shook his head, a gentle smile forming. Kibum squeezed Kyuhyun’s hand gently. No words were exchanged between the three magnaes as Kyuhyun turned, curling up towards the older two.
Kyuhyun knew that it was his fault no matter what his hyungs had said. If only he did not have such parents, if only he had not joined them. Kyuhyun could not help but think how different things would be if the accident did not occur. They would have already released their third album, and no one would have found out about his life before he joined them. Then he would not be feeling so ashamed of himself, for all he did was to cause more trouble for others. Kyuhyun whimpered slightly as he heard a soft hum. Instinctively he knew that it was Ryeowook. As the hum washed over him, Kyuhyun relaxed slightly. He remembered the warmth that surrounded him back at the SM building when he allowed himself to be protected. A slight smile formed. And I like the feeling.
Kibum leaned onto the bed, his eyes drifting close as well. He was tired. All the things that had happened hit them so suddenly, leaving them so helpless against everything. He wanted to call home. He wanted to hear his family’s voice, but he knew that if he called back now, he would just be making his mother more worried over him. Kibum was not used to feeling so helpless. He did not want to feel helpless. But there was nothing he could do. A tear rolled down his face as he drifted off to sleep. I want to protect you.
Ryeowook hummed a song under his breath as he stroke Kyuhyun’s head. It was the few times he was acting like the hyung he was to the younger two boys. He turned his attention slightly towards Kibum, smiling slightly at the dozing dongsaeng. Contemplating whether to wake Kibum and send him off to bed, he shook his head as he watched Kibum leaned into his hand. Planting a kiss on both his dongsaengs’ forehead, Ryeowook settled into the chair, closing his eyes as well. It’s not much. But this is all I can do.
Eeteuk leaned back on the sofa, exhausted from everything that had occurred. Their plan would take effect the next day. They were going to execute it tomorrow. He was nervous. He did not know what would happen. He knew it would hurt the one they intended, but would it hurt others? That was what worried him most. He did not want to cause more pain to Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun had gone through enough. Eeteuk sighed, running his hand through his hair. He felt like pulling all his hair out. Why? He could not understand why a parent would do such a thing. He could not understand why all these were happening to Kyuhyun, happening to all of them. Why couldn’t everything be simple?
Heechul was quiet when they discussed their plans. It was a behaviour that was unusual for him, but his mind was not on the plan. His mind was on his dongsaeng. He hoped that Kyuhyun would not give up. He hoped that they would be enough for Kyuhyun, for Kyuhyun to have the courage to get through all these. He knew that it would be impossible to escape unscathed, but he just wanted all of them to get through the situation. He never truly believed in any religion, but right now he prayed. He prayed for everything to be fine. He prayed for Kyuhyun to recover. He prayed for Super Junior to be forever. Heechul prayed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kyuhyun sat down, panting in the physiotherapy room. He managed to convince his hyungs to let him go for his physiotherapy session, although they had agreed only reluctantly for the reporters were still searching endlessly for someone - him specifically - to clarify the issue. Kyuhyun promised to be careful, nodding his head when his hyungs told him to stay in the hospital to wait for someone to fetch him. They did not know if the reporters would ambush him outside the hospital, but they did not want to take the risk.
Kyuhyun wiped the sweat off his head. It was good to be at physiotherapy. It made him feel as if he was at least achieving something instead of having to watch his hyungs work so hard, making the dark rings under their eyes more pronounced when he was simply lazing around in the dorm. He never quite voiced this thought to his hyungs for he knew that they would only reprimand him for having such thoughts. He shook his head as he exited the room. His feet brought him to the corridor where his brother was staying at.
Although his brother did not know about his existence, he still wanted to take a look at him. After all, they were still brothers by blood. And he had done nothing wrong. So absorbed in his thoughts, he did not notice the little girl in front of him until they bumped into each other. Kyuhyun looked down instantly when he felt something hit him. A girl with two high ponytails was staring at him with big round eyes.
He stretched out a hand. “Are you lost?”
A slight nod from the girl had Kyuhyun smiling at her.
“Do you remember where you last saw your parents?”
“Mummy was talking to a doctor. Then I saw something along the corridor so I went to look at it. After that, I couldn’t find Mummy anymore.”
Kyuhyun looked at the girl, who was biting her lips to stop the tears from falling.
“It’s okay. We’ll search for her. Come.” Kyuhyun tugged gently at the girl’s hand, getting a slight smile on the girl’s face. Kyuhyun wondered where to start looking. He looked around before deciding to head towards the nursing station so that they could make an announcement. He would be unable to comb the whole hospital with his injury and it would take far too long.
After returning the little girl to her mother, Kyuhyun turned around with a smile, planning to head towards his original destination. But as he walked, he heard a familiar voice at a corner. Mother? What is she doing here? Kyuhyun crept towards the voice, a little shock to hear the reply. Father?
“What did you do?”
“What do you mean what did I do?”
“Who else in the world have something against me that would do this to me?”
“I don’t know. Maybe like all the other businessman whose business you destroyed. And what do you mean by ‘this’?”
“Hah, I knew it. You were always the best at pretending, weren’t you? Then let me tell you something. It does not work on me.”
“I have no idea what you’re saying, you crazy woman. Now, let me go.”
“I will get back at you. Trust me.”
Just then a phone rang.
“Yes?”
“What?”
“How did that happen? I’ve always had their support!”
“I don’t care what you do. Find out what happened!”
His father suddenly whirled around to glare at his mother.
“Is this your doing?”
“What?”
“Don’t joke with me woman. What did you do to get all of them to renounce their support for me?”
“I did no such thing.”
“It would only be you who would do such thing.”
“Well, I’m sorry. It was not me. It must have been someone you’ve offended.”
“Unlike you lady, I don’t offend people.”
“Hah. I’m not going to argue with you. Just tell me what you want from getting me to sell my company.”
“Sell your company? Why would I want to do such thing? I’m not that free.”
There was silence for a while.
Suddenly his father raised his fist, swinging his arm back.
Kyuhyun emerged from his hiding spot, afraid that his father might hurt his mother. Despite knowing now that his mother had never acting like a mother, he could not bear to see his mother hurt. Both parents were shocked.
“What are you doing here?”
Kyuhyun ignored his mother’s question, his eyes still centred on his father.
“You! It must have been you!”
Kyuhyun stared warily at the finger pointing at him. What?
“You must have done that to me for what I did!”
“What did you do?” His mother was curious.
Kyuhyun tensed as his mother walked up to pick up the magazine left at a corner. He watched from the corner of his eyes as his mother flipped through the magazine.
“Why would you do this?” His mother understood his father’s character. He would not do such a thing unless it benefitted him in some way. Then it clicked.
“Oh. It must have been your son then. The one you had with her.” She sneered.
Kyuhyun went rigid when he heard the next statement.
“Then I’m glad that he refused.”
Kyuhyun knew that he should not be hurt by the words of a person who did not understand him, but it still hurt to know that his mother actually believed the words on the magazine.
“And you wonder who he takes after? Ha. I’ll leave you to your childish accusation. I have better things to do. And mark my words. I’ll get you back for this.”
With those words, his mother left, leaving the two men alone, staring at her back.
“Tell me, did you do this?”
Kyuhyun turned with hurt in his eyes back to his father.
“Why would I do that?” Kyuhyun answered, the pain clearly heard.
“To get back at me. Don’t act stupid.”
“Get back at you? For doing that to me?” He pointed to the magazine that now lied on the floor.
“Think about it. I don’t achieve anything by doing that.”
“You just want to hurt me!”
Kyuhyun flinched.
“I’ve already apologised for not being able to help. Do you honestly think I would have any power to do whatever that happened?”
He forced the words out of his mouth when all he wanted to do was to escape. He did not want a confrontation with his father.
“I’ve never wanted to have anything to do with you. If it was not for a chance that you might be able to help my son, you would have never seen me again.”
Kyuhyun stepped back slightly, his body trembling over the words.
As his father walked away, he left with few words.
“And whatever you did to hurt me worked. I hope you can live with yourself, knowing that you sent a little boy to death.”
Kyuhyun held on to the wall for support, his mind was all a blur. He did not know where he was. All he knew was that he wanted to get away from all this. He wandered out of the hospital, stumbling slightly in the light rain. He did not know where he was heading, he had no idea what was going on. Bumping into the passer-bys on the road as he staggered across the pavement, Kyuhyun wondered what exactly he had done.
Everything was a blur in front of him, even as no tears formed in his eyes. He saw things moving quickly around him, not knowing where exactly he was, and simply letting the crowd push him along. He felt nothing from all the bumps with people. He was numb. As his feet stepped in front of one another, Kyuhyun looked up, spotting a familiar building. He did not know what brought him there. He did not know how far he had walked in the rain. He did not know that tears were now flowing down his face. All he knew were the words that echoed in his head.
Entering the lift, Kyuhyun pressed a button. Stumbling out the lift when the door opened, Kyuhyun blindly walked towards the corner. As he stood in front of the door, his mind seemed to clear a little. He blinked, wondering what had led him here. Even as he stood in front of the door, his hand refused to lift to press the doorbell.
You sent a little boy to death.
Kyuhyun flinched back, as if the door had said that to him. He hit the wall behind him, his breathing becoming rapid. Sliding down to the floor in an attempt to stop himself from hyperventilating, Kyuhyun buried his head into his legs, ignoring the rain soaked pants. His phone was vibrating in his jacket, but he did not notice anything.
It’s your fault.
He did not know how long he had been there, hidden in the dark corridor, huddled in front of the door. All he knew was that once again he had caused the death of another person. He covered his ears, as if to stop hearing the screech of the tires, to stop hearing the flat line of the heart monitor. Pulling his legs even closer to his chest, he shivered as the wet clothes hung off his shoulders.
Then voices emerged from the lift as people walked out. There was a brief silence before someone spoke.
“Kyuhyun?”
A/N: It’s a little shorter than before and it took so long (I fell sick again!! Why?), but the next chapter should be out in the next few days. So I hope it’ll compensate for the shorter chapter. I know what I want to write in the next chapter already (and I have written a couple of paragraphs) so it’ll be up soon. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know that the revenge was probably not the ones most people had in mind, I might elaborate on it further. Hope you enjoy the chapter!
Author: vic_sim
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot. I apologise for any incorrect portrayal of people or any inaccurate details mentioned in my story.
Pairing: None at the moment.
Category: Angst/Comfort
Rating: NC-16 (just to be safe)
Summary: The aftermath of the situation
Arc I Arc II
Time passed as they threw ideas back and forth between twelve of them. But nothing truly came out of it, for they were all too worried about Kyuhyun, too confused and panicked over the whole situation to think with a clear mind. All they were getting out were flying tempers and increasing frustration at the fact that they could not do any to help.
“Why not you all head back to your dorm?” Their manager inserted. Shindong turned towards the manager. He had completely forgotten the presence of their manager.
“But what about this?” Sungmin spoke, gesturing to the pile of newspapers lying on the table.
“Leave it to us. I think you should all rest.”
Eeteuk looked around the table. Even though they had slept for the past night, the worried lines on their faces made it seem as if they had not slept for the past three days. No matter how much they wanted to help, they were not helping the situation right now. Although he knew that they would not be getting any sleep even if they went back to their dorm, it would be better being stuck in their dorm instead of in the SM building. Eeteuk knew that the news must have spread by now and soon the building would be swarmed by reporters. Eeteuk nodded.
Heechul turned to their sleeping magnae.
“Kyuhyun ah, wake up.”
It was a whisper, but Kyuhyun opened his eyes immediately. Rubbing his eyes, he blinked at his hyung.
“We’re heading back.”
Kyuhyun looked at Heechul. “But…”
“No buts. Didn’t I say to let us protect you now?”
Kyuhyun was about to protest when a finger was pressed against his lips. He looked at the owner.
“Kyu…”
Kyuhyun found himself staring into Kibum’s eyes, hearing the unspoken words.
Listen to us, please.
Kibum held onto Kyuhyun’s hand as they walked towards the exit. Ryeowook, Yesung, Hankyung, Shindong, Donghae and Eunhyuk had formed a circle around the two, enclosing them in the centre. The rest had walked on ahead, exiting the building before them. Immediately they were swarmed by the reporters who had gathered in front of the building, leaving them to escape unseen. Hurriedly, they piled into the van, moving off instantly after they had all buckled up. The sounds of the reporters fighting to be heard over each other still echoed in the van as they drove off.
Hankyung sat in the car, staring at the trees that moved past. As the colours flew by, he wondered when things had gotten so complicated. He had come from China in pursuit of his dream. In his simplistic thinking, that was all he was going to do - fulfil his dream and make his mother proud. He did not think that he would be embroiled in such situation where he did not know what to do. He shifted his eyes away from the passing scenery to the scene in front of him. His two dongsaengs were trying to get Kyuhyun to sleep, but he was resisting all their efforts. Hankyung sighed, but a small smile forming on his face despite the situation. He did not regret his decision to be here, for he had received something better than his dream - a family.
Yesung clenched his fists tightly. He was not a violent person by nature, but all his mind was filled with right now were thoughts of beating up the father. How dare he call himself a father? He was seething with anger. Glancing at the rear view mirror, Yesung wondered. For someone who does not care for his son, he has a surprising good grasp on Kyuhyun’s character. Yesung knew that there was different ways in which the father could have hurt Kyuhyun, but the method that would have hurt the most was involving them into the equation. He knew - they all knew - that Kyuhyun cared deeply for each of them. And because of the neglect he had faced when he was younger, his concept of self-worth was almost zero. By involving the people close to Kyuhyun, it would hurt Kyuhyun even more for he would definitely blame himself for all the trouble. Yesung knew that they would have a lot to do to convince their magnae that none of it was his fault.
Shindong kept his mind on driving. He did not want to be distracted and tried his hardest to stop his eyes from staying on the rear view mirror for too long. He knew that Kyuhyun was still slightly fearful of the van and he did not want to cause more distress on his dongsaeng now. Even so, Shindong could not stop his eyes from staring at the reflection every time he stopped at a traffic light. It hurt to see what had taken them like eternity to achieve was shattered in a matter of seconds by words of someone who did not deserved anything he had. It hurt especially because they had put in so much effort and some idiot just came along and shattered it. A honk from the back caused Shindong to jerk out of his thoughts. As he stepped on the accelerator, he wondered if things would ever be peaceful again.
Heechul schooled his expression before exiting the building. It was decided that he, Eeteuk, Siwon, Sungmin and Kangin were to be the distraction for the rest to escape. All thirteen of them would have proudly faced the crowd of reporters to show that they had nothing to fear for they had done nothing wrong. But they knew that Kyuhyun was not ready to face the crowd yet, and they had no wish of exposing every member to the reporters. Eeteuk nodded at all of them as they left. Five of them held their heads high and proud for they knew that they had done nothing wrong, that the person at fault was not them.
Immediately, the five of them were surrounded by the reporters. There were so many of them that even with the security around them it was almost important to move any step away from the building. None of them could actually hear what the reporters were shouting over each other, though anyone of them could hazard a guess. They held on to silence as they tried to fight their way through the crowd. They were instructed to not say anything until the company issued an official statement. They would not have said anything even without the instructions as they knew that whatever they said would be twisted to fit the story.
With the security helping them, they managed to push through the crowd and reach the van. They all heaved a sigh when the van finally started out of the compound, glad to be finally out of the vulture hole. Eeteuk immediately began fussing over all of them to make sure that they had all emerged from the crowd fine.
“Heechul ah, are you alright?” Eeteuk asked, hovering in front of the resident Cinderella.
Heechul was accidentally pushed in the midst of the chaos. If it was not for Sungmin’s quick reflexes in catching his arm, Heechul might have been buried in the crowd.
The person in question Heechul rubbed his arm for it was hurting slightly from all the pushing that occurred in the crowd.
“I’m fine, just a little bruised from all the pushing. Are you alright?”
Heechul turned his attention to Eeteuk. He knew that Eeteuk like him would deny any pain in order not to worry anyone, especially when Eeteuk believed that as a leader he should take care of everyone.
“I’m fine.” Eeteuk smiled slightly. The two of them knew that both could be lying to each other, but right now, they only wanted the reassurance. They just wanted to know that some things never changed.
Siwon, giving up his usual strong portrayal, leaned into Sungmin, seeking comfort from his hyung. He wondered when things became so complicated. He wondered why they had so much going on. He wondered when they could just be boys in search of their dreams. He wondered if carrying out their plan would solve the problem. He wondered if they would not hurt Kyuhyun more. He wondered. Siwon wondered as Sungmin’s arms tightened around him.
Sungmin could not say he was startled when he felt someone leaned on him. If Siwon had not moved first, Sungmin would have been the one leaning on Siwon. As his arm went round his dongsaeng, he was glad that at the moment he was not Kyuhyun. He knew that if whatever Kyuhyun had faced in the past year he would have collapsed long before this happened. Sungmin felt so small compared to his dongsaeng, so helpless and so worthless. He wanted to help, they wanted to help, but none of them knew how, none of them had the means to help. They could not turn back time to change everything. Sungmin was willing to do that even if it meant that Super Junior might not be formed, if they would not have meant each other. To him then, as long as his dongsaeng was happy, it did not matter.
Kangin was silent throughout the trip. As they were attempting to rush through the crowd, he truly felt like punching someone. Even though he knew that asking those questions were the jobs of the reporters, he could not comprehend how some of their imagination worked. He could not believe his ears. The only reason that he held back was because he knew that if he gave in to his urge, the whole situation would become irreparable. Kangin turned to face Eeteuk when he felt a touch on his hand. He looked at his leader, the anger deflating within him. He knew that he was not really angry at the reporters. He was not angry at the situation. He was angry over his own inability to do anything to help.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
Hankyung tried to convince Kyuhyun to head to bed first, without waiting for the rest to get back, but Kyuhyun refused. He needed to see that everyone was fine. He needed to know that no one was hurt because of him. He was the first one at the door, yanking the door open as Sungmin was still trying to insert the key. Sungmin stared at Kyuhyun in shock as Kyuhyun’s eyes roamed over him. It was a silent few minutes as Kyuhyun looked over all his hyungs, needing to know that nothing was wrong. Seeing that Kyuhyun was not going to speak, Sungmin spoke up.
“It’s alright Kyu. We’re all fine.”
Steering Kyuhyun away from the door, the rest entered the dorm only to be met by the same treatment from every other member. It was only then that Kyuhyun allowed himself to be led to his room. Although he did not want to leave, he caved in to the look on Ryeowook’s face. Kyuhyun found himself being tucked in by Ryeowook as he and Kibum took a seat next to his bed.
“Hyung, it’s alright. You don’t need to be here.”
Ryeowook shook his head, a gentle smile forming. Kibum squeezed Kyuhyun’s hand gently. No words were exchanged between the three magnaes as Kyuhyun turned, curling up towards the older two.
Kyuhyun knew that it was his fault no matter what his hyungs had said. If only he did not have such parents, if only he had not joined them. Kyuhyun could not help but think how different things would be if the accident did not occur. They would have already released their third album, and no one would have found out about his life before he joined them. Then he would not be feeling so ashamed of himself, for all he did was to cause more trouble for others. Kyuhyun whimpered slightly as he heard a soft hum. Instinctively he knew that it was Ryeowook. As the hum washed over him, Kyuhyun relaxed slightly. He remembered the warmth that surrounded him back at the SM building when he allowed himself to be protected. A slight smile formed. And I like the feeling.
Kibum leaned onto the bed, his eyes drifting close as well. He was tired. All the things that had happened hit them so suddenly, leaving them so helpless against everything. He wanted to call home. He wanted to hear his family’s voice, but he knew that if he called back now, he would just be making his mother more worried over him. Kibum was not used to feeling so helpless. He did not want to feel helpless. But there was nothing he could do. A tear rolled down his face as he drifted off to sleep. I want to protect you.
Ryeowook hummed a song under his breath as he stroke Kyuhyun’s head. It was the few times he was acting like the hyung he was to the younger two boys. He turned his attention slightly towards Kibum, smiling slightly at the dozing dongsaeng. Contemplating whether to wake Kibum and send him off to bed, he shook his head as he watched Kibum leaned into his hand. Planting a kiss on both his dongsaengs’ forehead, Ryeowook settled into the chair, closing his eyes as well. It’s not much. But this is all I can do.
Eeteuk leaned back on the sofa, exhausted from everything that had occurred. Their plan would take effect the next day. They were going to execute it tomorrow. He was nervous. He did not know what would happen. He knew it would hurt the one they intended, but would it hurt others? That was what worried him most. He did not want to cause more pain to Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun had gone through enough. Eeteuk sighed, running his hand through his hair. He felt like pulling all his hair out. Why? He could not understand why a parent would do such a thing. He could not understand why all these were happening to Kyuhyun, happening to all of them. Why couldn’t everything be simple?
Heechul was quiet when they discussed their plans. It was a behaviour that was unusual for him, but his mind was not on the plan. His mind was on his dongsaeng. He hoped that Kyuhyun would not give up. He hoped that they would be enough for Kyuhyun, for Kyuhyun to have the courage to get through all these. He knew that it would be impossible to escape unscathed, but he just wanted all of them to get through the situation. He never truly believed in any religion, but right now he prayed. He prayed for everything to be fine. He prayed for Kyuhyun to recover. He prayed for Super Junior to be forever. Heechul prayed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kyuhyun sat down, panting in the physiotherapy room. He managed to convince his hyungs to let him go for his physiotherapy session, although they had agreed only reluctantly for the reporters were still searching endlessly for someone - him specifically - to clarify the issue. Kyuhyun promised to be careful, nodding his head when his hyungs told him to stay in the hospital to wait for someone to fetch him. They did not know if the reporters would ambush him outside the hospital, but they did not want to take the risk.
Kyuhyun wiped the sweat off his head. It was good to be at physiotherapy. It made him feel as if he was at least achieving something instead of having to watch his hyungs work so hard, making the dark rings under their eyes more pronounced when he was simply lazing around in the dorm. He never quite voiced this thought to his hyungs for he knew that they would only reprimand him for having such thoughts. He shook his head as he exited the room. His feet brought him to the corridor where his brother was staying at.
Although his brother did not know about his existence, he still wanted to take a look at him. After all, they were still brothers by blood. And he had done nothing wrong. So absorbed in his thoughts, he did not notice the little girl in front of him until they bumped into each other. Kyuhyun looked down instantly when he felt something hit him. A girl with two high ponytails was staring at him with big round eyes.
He stretched out a hand. “Are you lost?”
A slight nod from the girl had Kyuhyun smiling at her.
“Do you remember where you last saw your parents?”
“Mummy was talking to a doctor. Then I saw something along the corridor so I went to look at it. After that, I couldn’t find Mummy anymore.”
Kyuhyun looked at the girl, who was biting her lips to stop the tears from falling.
“It’s okay. We’ll search for her. Come.” Kyuhyun tugged gently at the girl’s hand, getting a slight smile on the girl’s face. Kyuhyun wondered where to start looking. He looked around before deciding to head towards the nursing station so that they could make an announcement. He would be unable to comb the whole hospital with his injury and it would take far too long.
After returning the little girl to her mother, Kyuhyun turned around with a smile, planning to head towards his original destination. But as he walked, he heard a familiar voice at a corner. Mother? What is she doing here? Kyuhyun crept towards the voice, a little shock to hear the reply. Father?
“What did you do?”
“What do you mean what did I do?”
“Who else in the world have something against me that would do this to me?”
“I don’t know. Maybe like all the other businessman whose business you destroyed. And what do you mean by ‘this’?”
“Hah, I knew it. You were always the best at pretending, weren’t you? Then let me tell you something. It does not work on me.”
“I have no idea what you’re saying, you crazy woman. Now, let me go.”
“I will get back at you. Trust me.”
Just then a phone rang.
“Yes?”
“What?”
“How did that happen? I’ve always had their support!”
“I don’t care what you do. Find out what happened!”
His father suddenly whirled around to glare at his mother.
“Is this your doing?”
“What?”
“Don’t joke with me woman. What did you do to get all of them to renounce their support for me?”
“I did no such thing.”
“It would only be you who would do such thing.”
“Well, I’m sorry. It was not me. It must have been someone you’ve offended.”
“Unlike you lady, I don’t offend people.”
“Hah. I’m not going to argue with you. Just tell me what you want from getting me to sell my company.”
“Sell your company? Why would I want to do such thing? I’m not that free.”
There was silence for a while.
Suddenly his father raised his fist, swinging his arm back.
Kyuhyun emerged from his hiding spot, afraid that his father might hurt his mother. Despite knowing now that his mother had never acting like a mother, he could not bear to see his mother hurt. Both parents were shocked.
“What are you doing here?”
Kyuhyun ignored his mother’s question, his eyes still centred on his father.
“You! It must have been you!”
Kyuhyun stared warily at the finger pointing at him. What?
“You must have done that to me for what I did!”
“What did you do?” His mother was curious.
Kyuhyun tensed as his mother walked up to pick up the magazine left at a corner. He watched from the corner of his eyes as his mother flipped through the magazine.
“Why would you do this?” His mother understood his father’s character. He would not do such a thing unless it benefitted him in some way. Then it clicked.
“Oh. It must have been your son then. The one you had with her.” She sneered.
Kyuhyun went rigid when he heard the next statement.
“Then I’m glad that he refused.”
Kyuhyun knew that he should not be hurt by the words of a person who did not understand him, but it still hurt to know that his mother actually believed the words on the magazine.
“And you wonder who he takes after? Ha. I’ll leave you to your childish accusation. I have better things to do. And mark my words. I’ll get you back for this.”
With those words, his mother left, leaving the two men alone, staring at her back.
“Tell me, did you do this?”
Kyuhyun turned with hurt in his eyes back to his father.
“Why would I do that?” Kyuhyun answered, the pain clearly heard.
“To get back at me. Don’t act stupid.”
“Get back at you? For doing that to me?” He pointed to the magazine that now lied on the floor.
“Think about it. I don’t achieve anything by doing that.”
“You just want to hurt me!”
Kyuhyun flinched.
“I’ve already apologised for not being able to help. Do you honestly think I would have any power to do whatever that happened?”
He forced the words out of his mouth when all he wanted to do was to escape. He did not want a confrontation with his father.
“I’ve never wanted to have anything to do with you. If it was not for a chance that you might be able to help my son, you would have never seen me again.”
Kyuhyun stepped back slightly, his body trembling over the words.
As his father walked away, he left with few words.
“And whatever you did to hurt me worked. I hope you can live with yourself, knowing that you sent a little boy to death.”
Kyuhyun held on to the wall for support, his mind was all a blur. He did not know where he was. All he knew was that he wanted to get away from all this. He wandered out of the hospital, stumbling slightly in the light rain. He did not know where he was heading, he had no idea what was going on. Bumping into the passer-bys on the road as he staggered across the pavement, Kyuhyun wondered what exactly he had done.
Everything was a blur in front of him, even as no tears formed in his eyes. He saw things moving quickly around him, not knowing where exactly he was, and simply letting the crowd push him along. He felt nothing from all the bumps with people. He was numb. As his feet stepped in front of one another, Kyuhyun looked up, spotting a familiar building. He did not know what brought him there. He did not know how far he had walked in the rain. He did not know that tears were now flowing down his face. All he knew were the words that echoed in his head.
Entering the lift, Kyuhyun pressed a button. Stumbling out the lift when the door opened, Kyuhyun blindly walked towards the corner. As he stood in front of the door, his mind seemed to clear a little. He blinked, wondering what had led him here. Even as he stood in front of the door, his hand refused to lift to press the doorbell.
You sent a little boy to death.
Kyuhyun flinched back, as if the door had said that to him. He hit the wall behind him, his breathing becoming rapid. Sliding down to the floor in an attempt to stop himself from hyperventilating, Kyuhyun buried his head into his legs, ignoring the rain soaked pants. His phone was vibrating in his jacket, but he did not notice anything.
It’s your fault.
He did not know how long he had been there, hidden in the dark corridor, huddled in front of the door. All he knew was that once again he had caused the death of another person. He covered his ears, as if to stop hearing the screech of the tires, to stop hearing the flat line of the heart monitor. Pulling his legs even closer to his chest, he shivered as the wet clothes hung off his shoulders.
Then voices emerged from the lift as people walked out. There was a brief silence before someone spoke.
“Kyuhyun?”
A/N: It’s a little shorter than before and it took so long (I fell sick again!! Why?), but the next chapter should be out in the next few days. So I hope it’ll compensate for the shorter chapter. I know what I want to write in the next chapter already (and I have written a couple of paragraphs) so it’ll be up soon. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know that the revenge was probably not the ones most people had in mind, I might elaborate on it further. Hope you enjoy the chapter!