Why Must My Heart Ache?

Chapter 14: Visitors

    Sunday. That was Heechul's first thought when his alarm clock went off. It was his first Sunday of punishment for meddling with Kyuhyun's love life. For several minutes after climbing out of bed, he just stared at his closet, unsure of what he was supposed to wear. Heebum eventually made his decision for him by attacking a fly that had gone into the clothes and knocking down a collared shirt. It was a wine purple and went nicely with one of his suit jackets.    After showering, he debated as to whether or not he should do something with his hair. He settled with adding some gel to keep it from falling in his face. Even if he didn't care about church, he didn't want to get yelled at by some strict ahjumma.

    He walked out into the dorm to eat breakfast when somebody pounded on the door. Since he was already standing, he went to answer it. To his relief, it was Jang Keun Suk. Siwon would have to let him out of church that Sunday if Keun Suk "needed" him. Quickly, he explained the situation to his friend and they devised a plan to save him from Siwon, which worked perfectly as Siwon was in too much of a hurry to argue since his alarm hadn't gone off and he woke up late. A true rarity.

    Heechul insisted that they go out to play in celebration. They ended up going to a noraebang. He ordered the drinks and appetizers, and they both drank and sang until dinnertime, when they went out for ramyun and more soju. Even when Keun Suk left, Heechul stayed out, postponing going home until he could walk in a straight line and deny Siwon's accusations that he was drunk.

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    After the service, the churchgoers decided to go for lunch and ditch the WGM cameras that had been recording KyuTi's first service as a couple. In the van, Kyuhyun noticed that Flora was beaming at her cell phone and texting with a fervor. He reached over her shoulder and snatched the device to read her texts out loud, which proved to be a challenge due to their being in English. Flora helped him out. "Flora, guess what? I'm on a plane to Seoul right now! You were right last month. I should have taken the broken-up flight. I should land at around six. See you then!"

    "She should have told you sooner. What if you had been too busy to pick her up?" Kyuhyun criticized.

     "Beth knows that I would never work on a Sunday," Flora countered. "Besides, I told her that she could surprise me anytime she wants." He couldn't avoid the infectiousness of her grin anymore. He felt his own mouth turn up at the corners.

    After they had eaten, he gave his hyungs the signal he had told them about the night before. When he mentioned that he would like to go play, they immediately gave their excuses to scram. Hoping that she wouldn't have any plans until she went to pick up Beth, he offered to take Flora somewhere fun. She pulled on a hat and sunglasses and, taking his hand, pulled him toward a shopping district.

    They spent a few hours browsing for a welcome gift to give to Beth. Kyuhyun insisted on something either practical or gaming-involved. Flora wanted something that would make Beth laugh. Munching on fish cookies, they finally settled on a pair of T.O.P. socks. Useful for warming feet, effective at putting a silly grin on a fangirl's face.

    Kyuhyun paid for bus tickets and at 4:30 they headed towards the airport. The girls squealed when they saw each other, and Kyu ended up taking care of Beth's bags until they hailed a taxi. Smiling, he sat quietly in the front seat, listening to the speedy and high-pitched English chatter. He was getting better at picking out words here and there, and so sort of understood some of the conversation. He heard his name a few times, and each time he heard it come from Flora's mouth, he felt his heart swell.

    He said goodbye to them at the door of Flora's apartment while setting down Beth's bags. Beth began to take her stuff inside, but Flora remained standing just outside the doorway. He looked at her curiously, waiting for her to say goodbye, but she just smiled. As he watched her face, he noticed that her expression was gradually changing from happiness to mischief.

    "You know what?" she said teasingly. He just shrugged. "We're a couple on two shows. The fans will expect it sooner or later. It will be awkward if we wait until it's demanded."

    Kyuhyun didn't understand until Flora already had her hands on his face and was gently placing a peck on his lips. Shocked, he just stood there while she said good night and went inside, closing the door behind her.