Eyes Wide Open

Chapter One

Two types of people run the world. There are the ones who are the seemingly perfect, and then there are the ones who are actually perfect. Us three, the three who all fit into one of these categories, are a mystery to everyone else. No one else understands us; inside or out. But that will change. At the right time, we will be the ones that look at them and wonder about them. Soon enough, we will be the ones who are understood.

Ankles crossed. Hands clasped. Eyes forward. Jaw set. Straight back. This is what Sungmin taught us. He used to be the fourth in our group, but he surpassed us. The doctors said that he was unstable. They said that he was unhealthy. What they didn't know was that Sungmin was achieving perfection. And he died with it, just like he had planned.

Sungmin's death rocked no one more than Kyuhyun. They were the perfect match, and when Sungmin left, Kyuhyun was a mess. At first, it was hard for him. But then he realized that Sungmin wouldn't want him ruining his perfect features with a mere death. So he stopped crying. He stopped being emotionally attached to the dead Sungmin. And now, he takes after him. He promised to achieve perfection before he died, just like Sungmin. And sometimes, that's Kyuhyun's weakness. But no one else sees it as a weakness, because no one else is perfect, or near perfect like us.

We take after Sungmin just as Kyuhyun does. We remember every single thing he had told us before he was gone, and we follow the simple rules that he taught us. Ankles crossed. Hands clasped. Eyes forward. Jaw set. Straight back. We follow the steps to perfection every day, remembering the grace in which Sungmin moved and the effort he had put into it. Kyuhyun has the hardest time, and although he blames himself outwardly, everyone knows that it's Sungmin's doing. Kyuhyun is still effected by it, whether he wants to admit it or not.

"Kyuhyun, he is gone. Sungmin's not going to come back if you simply will it to be," While sitting in the kitchen, our full plates in front of us, we heard Leeteuk yelling at Kyuhyun. "Sungmin is gone, because of the problems he had, and he wo--"

"Sungmin didn't have any problems! Sungmin was perfect, unlike someone like you!" Kyuhyun suddenly shot back his response, making both Hyukjae and I jump in surprise. "You, Park Jung-Su, are nowhere near perfect. I am simply ashamed to be within your presence!"

We heard the door open and slam shut, but there was no other noise. No one spoke, and no one moved. Hyukjae reached over and tapped my back twice, which signaled me to sit up straight. Just as I did, Leeteuk walked into the room, and with seeing us, he seemed to be surprised as to the fact that we were there.

"He's gone. Sungmin had brainwashed that child, and now there's nothing left of the Kyuhyun that we all know." Hyukjae and I looked at each other, the same thought running through our minds. Kyuhyun was right. Leeteuk was nowhere near perfect, and although Kyuhyun may have exploded, he was a little too right about Leeteuk.

Hyukjae raised his eyebrows at me, then stood up and moved to walk out of the room. His shoes clicked lightly on the tile floor, his steps measured perfectly as he smoothly glided away. I gracefully slid from my chair, following him without casting a single glance at the older man in the room. My eyes forward, just as Sungmin taught me, I kept my gaze focused on the back of Hyukjae's head. There were only two perfect people left in the group now, and it would only be he and I as we awaited perfection to take us just as it had taken Sungmin.