[PG-13] Perfect, Imperfect [1/?]

[airplanewishes]

Title: Perfect, Imperfect
Characters: Kyuhyun/Ryeowook
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Friendship, Romance


And my KyuWook fic is alive! I've been working on this since Christmas and it's grown to be... It's just GROWN period. This isn't finished, but since it's become so long I thought why not post some part of it since it's never going to fit in one post anyway. So here it is.

I hope veezhi likes this because it's for her. I'm sorry this is taking forever to finish, but I hope you like it. If you don't, let me know and I'll figure something out. :D

Also, thank you to snowychrys and lyntia for the beta-ing, encouragement and the hand-holding.

Perfect, Imperfect

“This is yours.”

Kyuhyun looked away from his phone and saw a notebook being practically shoved to his face. It was dirty with the edges of the cover frayed, like some dog bit on it. His eyes traced the hand of the one holding the notebook right up to his gummy, smiling face.

“That’s not mine,” were his only words before returning to the message on his phone.

Hyukjae opened the notebook with a flourish and read, “Property of Cho Kyuhyun.”

Kyuhyun snatched the notebook from him and confirmed. Sure enough, his name was right there at the top of the first page, written plainly in his handwriting. He frowned and turned the notebook over and over. He was pretty sure that he was a neat enough person to not allow his notebook, or any of his things, to look like trash.

“Where did you get this?” Kyuhyun demanded.

Hyukjae snickered. “From one of the sophomores. I think you lent him your notebook for some review and, apparently, his dog liked it too much,” he explained, enjoying every anger level of change on his friend’s face. “I’m sure he gave it to me instead of directly to you because I’m so much nicer than you are.”

“Throw it away,” Kyuhyun flatly ordered, giving him back the notebook. “I don’t own anything ugly.”

Hyukjae rolled his eyes at him and stuffed the notebook in his bag. He knew Kyuhyun would be very upset when he found out that it was his Advanced Calculus notebook that he asked to be thrown away.

“So…” Hyukjae cautiously began. “Where are you off to?”

“Why are you asking and why are you still here?” Kyuhyun questioned. He stopped walking and pocketed his phone. “Are you actually thinking of leaving school with me?”

“Kyuhyun, you’re so uptight,” Hyukjae commented, taking a step back. “See you tomorrow.” With a half wave, he trudged out of the university building.

Cho Kyuhyun was a person who kept mostly to himself. Especially in school. He didn’t adapt well to—nor did he want to—the so-called university life. He didn’t really want to mix up with people who weren’t worth his time. If there was one thing he learned from his father and mother, it was that the people he let into his life should be worth his attention. And those who were worth his attention should be nothing short of perfect. From what he had observed, university students were just a waste of his time.

Hyukjae was an exception. Well, almost. Hyukjae was the son of one of his father’s associates, who’s very well known in the business world, as well as the country, for their airlines. While the Chos took care of the seas with their shipping business, the Lees took care of the air. In the bigger scheme of things, he really didn’t have the luxury of being mean to Hyukjae. But he was mean to him anyway. They’d known each other since they were kids and both had since learned to put up with each other.

He walked to the parking lot, pulling his keys out of the pocket of his dark jeans. He wouldn’t wear jeans on any normal day, which was when he was in his parents’ line of sight. Being the heir of a shipping conglomerate, he was always tasked to wear slacks and, at the very least, a dress shirt. But he wouldn’t be caught dead wearing those in school. So he usually settled for a collared shirt and dark jeans. As he approached his car, he inwardly sighed, knowing that he would have to change into more business-like clothes as he was having an early dinner with his father that afternoon. That usually entailed talking about him taking his place in the company.

Just as he clicked the locks of his car open, he heard voices a couple of cars down from his, some raucous laughter. He ignored them and moved to get in when he heard a loud thud and then a car alarm going off. He watched as three guys scrambled out of the parking lot. With a smirk and a shake of his head, he got in his car and started to drive out.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the window of the passenger side of his car. He abruptly stopped and pressed the window down to reveal a scrawny-looking, but pretty, male.

“You better not have scratched my window,” Kyuhyun lashed out before he could get a word out.

“Oh,” he immediately apologized, eyes widening. “I’m sorry. I was just wondering if you could give me a ride to the nearest gas station. Some guys just stole off me and they have my car keys as well.”

Kyuhyun stared at him. “What color is the car I’m driving?”

“Um, black,” he answered, taking a sweep of the car with his eyes. “Why? Is this a test?” He looked confused.

“And what car is this?” Kyuhyun went on.

“It’s a Bugatti,” came the confused answer.

“Congratulations, you know your cars,” Kyuhyun responded, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “It’s a Bugatti Veyron Sang Noir,” Kyuhyun emphasized. His finger flicked on a switch that had the car window moving up.

“So you’re not giving me a ride just because your car is a Bugatti Veyron Sang Noir?” the male asked in disbelief. Kyuhyun noted that his French pronunciation was wonky and it just irritated him more.

“This isn’t a cab,” Kyuhyun answered in complete sarcasm. With that, he closed the window and drove off.

---

Kim Ryeowook came home that afternoon in a very foul mood. His hair was in disarray. Sweat dripped down his face. His shirt was dirty from where he kept on wiping his stickiness away. He had his shoes on hand and his socks were black with dust. He immediately saw his personal assistant by the grand staircase and opened his mouth to call his attention.

“Jo—.”

A movement by the second floor alerted him that there were other people around. He then narrowed his eyes and tapped his socked feet on the marble floor in impatience. He decided to just stand in the doorway, waiting to be noticed.

“Young Master!” his assistant gasped as soon as he saw him. The young male scrambled to get to him, failing miserably to do anything that would satisfy. “What happened?”

Ryeowook, seething with anger, raised his hands to stop the babbling of his assistant that was accompanied with spit. He raised his shoes in front of the assistant.

“Who made these shoes?” Ryeowook asked in an even tone, glancing at the second floor balcony where his mother watched.

“Your—your personal shoemaker, Young Master,” came the swift answer.

“I want them thrown away,” Ryeowook declared, glaring at his assistant.

“What—but they’re your favorite pair!” his assistant tried to make him see reason. “You even said that they’re your most comfortable ones. This is what you always wear, Young Master.”

“THROW THEM AWAY, JONGWOON!” Ryeowook bellowed, throwing the pair of shoes across the hall.  “What use are they if they can’t even let me walk properly all the way to my own house!”

“I will throw them away at once, Young Master,” Jongwoon promptly responded as he scampered to pick up the discarded pair of shoes. “Young Master, why did you walk home? What happened to your car?”

“Have it picked up at school by the chauffer,” Ryeowook ignored his question. “And please get me a new phone. I’ll need a new wallet, too.”

“But what happen—,” Jongwoon started to ask.

“That’s enough questions from you. Didn’t I ask you to throw away my shoes? While you’re at it, throw away all my shoes,” Ryeowook then mused. “I want a new shoemaker. Find one for me.”

“But I—,” Jongwoon began.

“You can do it, right?” Ryeowook shot him a sweet smile. Jongwoon gulped and immediately nodded like some sick puppy. “Good boy,” he told him in an almost condescending manner. “Please have Donghae on line one for me in 10 minutes. Oh, and bring me some food, will you?” He waved his hand to dismiss him.

When he looked up at the balcony, his mother was gone. He lowered his hardened eyes to the floor then lifted his chin up in defiance.

Kim Ryeowook was no pushover. Just because he wasn’t the immediate heir to the multi-million dollar hotel business of his family, didn’t mean that he didn’t have some form of power.

After a couple of minutes, a cart of food was rolled to his side by one of the maids. It displayed an array of breads and pastries. The maid bowed and left him. He picked up a pastry and started eating in contentment.

Exactly 10 minutes later, a footman approached him with a cordless phone in hand. He immediately retreated once Ryeowook got the phone from him.

“What did you do this time?” Donghae’s voice came through the line. “Jongwoon mentioned something about you throwing your shoes at him.”

“I didn’t do anything, to him or to anyone for that matter,” Ryeowook corrected, rolling his eyes. “And I threw the shoes across the hall and not at him.”

“That sounds like the same thing,” Donghae responded with a chuckle. “Stop doing these things to him.”

Ryeowook made a face even though Donghae couldn’t see him. “He knows what he got himself into when he insisted to be my assistant.”

“So what’s making you throw all your shoes away?” Donghae wanted to know. “He mentioned that you walked home. Why is that?”

“Oh you know I’m not the strongest male out there. I’m a natural target for scumbags and assholes,” Ryeowook told him in an almost singsong voice.

“You could’ve flagged a bus or something,” Donghae told him.

“I’m not exactly a whiz in riding public transportation,” Ryeowook retorted. “Besides, if you didn’t get the gist of what I had just said, they took my wallet and my phone.”

“So you walked,” Donghae remarked, chuckling.

“I’m glad my misfortune is amusing to you,” Ryeowook’s voice dripped with disdain.

“I’m kidding! So what do you need?” Donghae changed the subject, muffling his laughter.

“What makes you think I need anything?” Ryeowook sounded affronted.

“You never call me unless you need something,” Donghae replied.

“Well that’s what friends are for,” Ryeowook stated. “They’re people you call when you need help with something.”

“Save your speeches,” Donghae snickered. “So what do you need help with?”

Ryeowook smirked. “I need you to run a plate number for me.”

“This isn’t for another guy who rejected you, is it?” Donghae exclaimed.

“Shut up,” Ryeowook snapped.

---

“Can you be any more slower?” Kyuhyun barked as Sungmin, another one of his so-called friends, got in the car. “You know we can’t be late!”

“You and your over punctuality,” Sungmin teased, but only lightly since he knew Kyuhyun was on the verge of exploding. “He’s not going to leave if you’re a couple of minutes late. You’re Cho Kyuhyun.”

“If you keep on talking in an attempt distract me from my annoyance with you taking forever to dress up, I’m going to punch you,” Kyuhyun growled.

“Such a mouthful,” Sungmin chuckled. “Fine, I’m shutting up. But we’re not going to be late. You’re in a Bugatti for heaven’s sake.”

Kyuhyun smirked knowingly. There was a reason he bought a Bugatti. It was a symbol of wealth, power and rebellion. No one has stopped him on the road, no matter what speed he was driving in. There was that touch of fear whenever they saw his car and whenever they saw him coming out of it.

But, apparently, there was a first time for everything.

“What the fuc—?” Kyuhyun began to curse.

“What’s wrong officer?” Sungmin interrupted, glaring at him. He gave a big and innocent smile to the police officer. “I’m pretty sure we weren’t speeding.”

“Not right now you aren’t,” the policeman commented, raising an eyebrow at Sungmin. He took a pad out and handed a list of speeding offenses that Kyuhyun had garnered.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Kyuhyun exclaimed in annoyance as he stared at the paper.

“I’m afraid not,” the policeman answered, shaking his head with a smile.

Kyuhyun looked pointedly at the policeman and ripped the paper to pieces and threw it out of the window. The officer smiled widely at him and handed him another set of papers, all copies of his speeding tickets.

“There’s more where that came from,” the policeman told them quite happily.

“You can’t arrest me for past speeding offenses,” Kyuhyun retorted incredulously. “If you thought I was speeding then, you should have told me then. Not now when I’m not speeding.”

“Oh I’m not arresting you, sir,” the officer stated, shaking his head.

“What then? You just wanted to chat?” Kyuhyun smirked.

“You just have to surrender your car to me,” the officer relayed. “It will be impounded until such time that you’re given permission by a judge to drive this car again.”

“Don’t you know what car this is?” Kyuhyun spat out in incredulity. “It’s a—.”

“I’m sure he doesn’t need to be asked what kind of car this is,” Sungmin stopped him with a quiet sigh.

“And I do know what kind of car this is,” the officer piped in cheekily.

“Don’t you know who I am?” Kyuhyun then went on, straightening. “I’m Cho Kyuhyun.” Sungmin buried his face in his palm.

“I don’t care if you’re the President of South Korea,” the policeman responded calmly. “You’re going to have to surrender your car to me. Right now.” He glanced at the list of speeding offenses. “These tickets have been long overdue they’re bound to have some jail time in there at this rate.” He smiled at Kyuhyun. “I’m sure being in jail is the last thing you need in your resume. What would your father think?”

Kyuhyun narrowed his eyes. The police officer knew too much about his life. He exchanged a look with Sungmin and knew that he was on the losing end in this whole thing. This wasn’t the time to think things through and plan retribution. He opened his car and got out. Sungmin did the same.

The policeman immediately got into the driver’s seat, but not without winking at Sungmin, and drove away without so much as a warning.

“HEY!” Kyuhyun yelled furiously, running a couple of steps after his car. “Goddammit!!!” He actually stomped his foot, staring down the road where his car disappeared to. “We’re late!!! I swear I’m going to kill him…”

“The cop?” Sungmin looked at Kyuhyun carefully.

“That’s no cop. That’s Choi fucking Siwon!” Kyuhyun cursed gallantly. He muttered a variety of colorful obscenities under his breath.

Sungmin watched him in amusement and pulled his phone out to call a car to pick them up. He frowned when he couldn’t connect to the call. Or to any call for that matter.

“Okay, this is interesting,” Sungmin muttered.

“What?” Kyuhyun demanded rather harshly.

“My phone’s signal seems to be jammed,” Sungmin carefully told him as he tried to make it work.

Kyuhyun took his phone out from his pocket and found that it wouldn’t work properly as well. He threw it on the road, where a car ran over it.

“You better find me a car, Sungmin, before I kill you,” Kyuhyun growled darkly as he clenched his fists.

“So dramatic,” Sungmin rolled his eyes and hailed a cab.

---

He popped a piece of strawberry into his mouth and laughed joyously. He lounged around on a light blue sofa with specks of gold and silver on it, eating fruits and the different pastries that their pastry chef had prepared for him. It made him immensely happy and contented. He chuckled as Donghae recounted another part of what happened.

“Now he knows who he’s dealing with,” Ryeowook commented with a grin.

“Actually, he still doesn’t know,” Donghae replied. “Not technically.”

Ryeowook waved his hand in dismissal. “At least he knows he’s not the only one who gets what he wants. Sometimes, he doesn’t get what he wants.” He smirked.

“What are you planning to do next?” Donghae warily asked, exchanging a look with Siwon, who was another one of their friends.

“What do you plan to do with the car?” Siwon wanted to know, nodding towards the Bugatti Veyron Sang Noir parked outside. “Can I keep it? It was a very nice drive here.”

Siwon was the son of a very prominent politician, who worked closely with the army and the police forces. It was easy for him to step in and do as his friend, Ryeowook, requested. Meanwhile, Donghae’s family was in the business of information and telecommunications. Hacking into systems to make it go their way, as well as retrieving information, was no problem for him.

Ryeowook rolled his eyes at him. “That car is owned by that scumbag, who owes me something. So I get to keep the car. For now, at least,” he declared. He grabbed a piece of chocolate and munched on it. “I wonder what he’ll feel when he sees me driving his black Bugatti, which is clearly not a cab.”

“I’m sure he’ll be thrilled,” Donghae mused.

“He won’t think twice about killing you,” Siwon agreed. “But why are we wasting our time with him when we can pound those who stole from you?”

Ryeowook waved dismissively and Donghae chuckled knowingly.

“Going after Cho Kyuhyun rather than a bunch of nobodies gets more attention, doesn’t it, Ryeowook?” Donghae phrased. He turned to Ryeowook, who was currently munching on a biscuit. “So what else are we going to do?”

“I think you should personally return the car to him,” Siwon suggested a bit too eagerly that Donghae shot him a look.

Ryeowook smiled lazily, popping another biscuit in his mouth. “Maybe it’s time for Cho Kyuhyun and I to meet.”

---

There was a knock on the door.

Kyuhyun looked up from the book he was reading, brows furrowed. Being deprived of toys as a child, he became a voracious reader, devouring books one after the other. As such, he had developed a schedule of secluding himself in the family library right after he got home from university. With some tea and snacks, he did his homework and spent the rest of the afternoon reading whatever he could find. That being said, the household staff knew better than to let anyone disturb him while he was in his reading mode.

“Knock, knock,” a familiar voice called as the door opened. “Sorry to disturb your reading.”

“What are you doing here?” he asked dismissively. “Noona,” he added after a beat.

Cho Ahra was two years older than Kyuhyun. After graduating valedictorian in her music degree, she had moved abroad to pursue her music further. Despite being older, she was also a female, therefore was given more opportunities to actually study and do what she wanted. Once in a while, she came home to spend a couple of days with them before flying back out again and disappearing (but with phone calls) for months.

“Visiting,” she answered. “But it seems I have come at a bad time.”

“You’re right. I am busy,” he stated plainly, gesturing towards his books. “I’m on a schedule.”

“Yes, I know, Kyu,” Ahra answered, lightly ruffling his hair in affection. He pushed her hand away. “I should really know better than to surprise you like this. It’s not like you don’t have a life.”

“I’m sure we’ll see each other at dinner,” he responded, placing his hands in his pockets.

She managed a smile. “A friend of yours is here by the way,” she then said. “We chatted for quite a bit and he’s very charming, I must say.”

“Hyukjae isn’t charming. Sungmin isn’t either,” he flatly described. He paused with sudden realization. “I don’t have friends.”

“Of course you do. But I don’t mean Hyukjae or Sungmin,” she laughed. Turning to the door, she gestured for someone to enter after her.

“Who…?” Kyuhyun began to ask but the words died in his throat.

The male who entered was definitely not someone who was in Kyuhyun’s circle. He looked at his sister, who touched his arm gently, a big smile on her face.

“I didn’t know you were friends with Kim Jisun’s younger brother,” Ahra went on rather happily. “You know she was my best friend in university.”

The name vaguely registered in Kyuhyun’s brain. His eyes darted towards the delicate-looking boy who was now in his room. He was short, definitely shorter than him, rather slim, with round cheeks and dark, reddish hair. The smaller male smiled at him. Kyuhyun blinked.

“Well, I’ll leave you two alone,” Ahra announced. She moved as if to give Kyuhyun a kiss on the cheek, but decided against it when he took a step back. Instead, she merely smiled and left the room.

Kyuhyun stared at the stranger.

“Who are you?” Kyuhyun roughly asked, looking at him from head to foot. He was pretty sure he had seen him somewhere, but where exactly he couldn’t really place. The fact that he had gotten into his home without any difficulty and that he managed to charm his sister didn’t sit well with him.

“How could you be so rude to your sister?” the male responded, appalled. “She hasn’t seen you in months.”

“I don’t think that’s any of your business,” Kyuhyun retaliated. “Who are you?”

“You heard your sister—or maybe you didn’t since I bet you weren’t listening. I’m Kim Jisun’s little brother.” He smirked.

“And that’s not a lie?” Kyuhyun tried again, eyes sharpening.

He scoffed. “Would be pretty hard to lie about that since your noona used to come over to our house all the time,” he answered.

“You still didn’t answer my question,” Kyuhyun reminded him steely. “Who are you?”

“Your Bugatti’s really nice,” he ignored his question once more, glancing out of the window.

“My Bug—.” Kyuhyun hurried to the window and looked down at the driveway. Sure enough, his Bugatti that was practically stolen by that Choi Siwon was back. It didn’t look like it was scratched or had anything wrong with it. He suddenly whipped around, eyes narrowed once more. “You have something to do with this, don’t you?” he accused.

“This,” he repeatedly innocently.

“I missed my meeting with a very important business contact because of you and your bullshit,” Kyuhyun told him in a dark voice, clenching and unclenching his fists. “I have never been late for my meetings until you pulled that stunt off. You’re going to have to pay for that.”

“I don’t think so,” was the stranger’s answer. “That incident was payment for your cold-heartedness. So, if there’s anyone who you should be blaming for what happened, it should be yourself.”

“You fucking asshole,” Kyuhyun growled.

“I could say the same thing about you,” he shot back without hesitation.

“If you’re just going to stand there, not introducing yourself and even have the audacity to be a dick in my house, you better get out,” Kyuhyun growled, pointing at the door.

He gave him a thin smile. “Why do you care so much about who I am? It doesn’t matter, right? You don’t really care about people. You have your car back and that’s what’s important to you, just yourself. Don’t worry. I’ll tell Siwon to leave you alone. You can rest in peace with those speeding tickets of yours. Maybe I’ll even set up another meeting between you and the Zhous. Mi is a pretty forgiving guy.”

Kyuhyun balked. There was too much that this…intruder knew about him and his life. And here he was grasping at straws because the only thing he knew about him was that he was a familiar face.

“I don’t remember Jisun noona having a younger brother,” Kyuhyun bit out in frustration. He wasn’t used to not knowing things and was not used to people not giving him what he wanted.

“Maybe I’m lying then,” was all he said as he moved to leave the room. “But what does that matter to you?”

“You’re breaking and entering,” Kyuhyun threatened, clenching his fists tightly.

“Hmm, no, not really,” he shot back with a saccharine smile. “You know I’m not. Besides, Ahra noona let me in. She would definitely vouch for how we’re friends. Then again, I guess you wouldn’t understand a thing about that since you keep everyone at arms length.”

“You know nothing about me so don’t you dare pretend to know what my life’s like,” Kyuhyun snapped. “How I handle my relationships is my business.”

He shrugged. “Fine. I hope you’re happy then,” he paused and smiled once more. “Cho Kyuhyun.”

Kyuhyun stared at the door long after the unwelcomed visitor had gone.

---

Hyukjae flipped through a friend’s notes and started copying them down into his own notebook. He was halfway through an equation when the notebook was whipped away.

“Hey, I was copying that,” Hyukjae complained.

“If you actually paid attention in class, you wouldn’t have to copy,” Sungmin responded evenly, putting the notebook back into his bag.

“But I was called out of class by my—,” Hyukjae began to vehemently explain.

“Stop lying about your dad calling you out of class for business,” Sungmin scolded him, “and just stop skipping classes. You know your parents are going to find out eventually and then where would you be?”

“Sometimes I hate you more than I hate Kyuhyun,” Hyukjae grumbled as he opened his book and started creating his own notes. But he secretly looked up at Kyuhyun, hoping he hadn’t heard him.

“That’s insulting to me, but I’ll take it if that’s what’ll make you take your studies seriously,” Sungmin retorted, making a face at him.

“Okay, mom, shut up already,” Hyukjae shot back.

Sungmin smiled contentedly and turned back to his own homework. He and Hyukjae were cousins. Their families were the big shots in the airline industry. He could remember how they used to travel all around Asia on a whim to eat certain delicacies or enjoy some other playgrounds.

He remembered in third grade how Kyuhyun, a transfer from Incheon, just sat down with them one day during recess and told them that they were going to be a group from then on. Kyuhyun was quite popular with the kids, being handsome and very smart. So, despite him being pompous (and because Hyukjae was too scared to say no), they agreed. They’d been friends ever since. Although, the term ‘friends’ probably meant something different to Kyuhyun that it did to them. Maybe it was more of a companionship or some form of convenience or just something by default.

Thinking about this, Sungmin looked up at Kyuhyun. The mentioned male was seated on the other end of the table, a pen in hand, but wasn’t writing. Instead, he was just staring into space.

Sungmin nudged Hyukjae rather forcefully.

“Ow,” Hyukjae exclaimed. “What’s the big deal?” He glared at Sungmin, who merely nodded towards Kyuhyun.

“What’s up with him?” Sungmin wanted to know.

“I don’t know,” Hyukjae answered grudgingly, rubbing his arm where Sungmin hit him. “He’s been like that since yesterday.”

“Why haven’t you asked if anything’s wrong?” Sungmin asked.

“And have my head bitten off?” Hyukjae scoffed. “No thanks. You ask him if you’re so concerned.”

“Hey Kyu,” Sungmin called out to him. Kyuhyun turned his gazed towards them. Hyukjae slowly looked up. “Everything okay with you? You seem a bit out of it.”

Kyuhyun merely looked at Sungmin, his brows furrowing. Hyukjae slowly and unassumingly started to pack his things into his bag. Sungmin half-shrugged.

“Sorry,” Sungmin said. “Forget I asked.” Even he knew when Kyuhyun wasn’t in the mood for small talk, which was practically all the time.

“Hey,” Kyuhyun suddenly said. The two boys looked at him in surprise. “Do you guys want to come over after school? Maybe we could watch something, a DVD or…” He trailed off with a shrug.

Sungmin stared at him. Hyukjae stared at him. In their 11 years of friendship, Kyuhyun had never ever asked them to come over to his house to hang out. He has never celebrated his birthday with them, never shared anything of significance to them, except for his school notes.

Kyuhyun swallowed then smirked. “You two are dorks,” he snickered, standing up and gathering his things. “The looks on your faces…” He walked away.

“What’s gotten into him?” Hyukjae asked, eyes wide, blinking rapidly.

“I think…” Sungmin responded, meeting the eyes of someone across the quad. “Someone did.”

---

He never really went out much. Even so, he never even really got around in his own house. In fact, he was sure he wasn’t into any other part of the house as often as he was in the library or in the dining room, which was the only place he spent with his family. It was where his father and mother usually discussed business with him. He never really saw them in any other part of the house anymore. His father was usually in an out-of-town business trip, while his mom oversaw the operations in the country. They were hardly around and when they were, they only talked to him to remind him of how high his grades should be, how neat his clothes should look, and how faultless his communication should be. His mother also reminded him to be wary of the people he hung out with.

“Kyuhyun?”

Kyuhyun blinked and looked up to find Ahra looking at him in a mixture of surprise and concern.

“You’ve been standing there for a couple of minutes now,” Ahra went on. Kyuhyun had been walking back and forth outside her bedroom. “Was there something that you needed?”

Some form of pain crossed his features before he blurted out, “I need to know the name of Kim Jisun’s younger brother.”

Ahra stood there for a second, wondering how to proceed. Her brother had never really asked anything from her before. “Why don’t you come inside?” She opened the door to her room wider.

As Kyuhyun walked in and looked around at the spacious room, he realized that he had never been inside her sister’s room. He also realized that he has never really been alone with his sister before. They’ve never talked about anything.

“Is there something wrong?” she asked once they’d seated at the sofa.

“Of course there’s nothing wrong,” he retorted defensively. He stood up. “I shouldn’t have come to you.”

“Kyuhyun,” she immediately stopped him from leaving, a hand on his arm. With so little opportunities to talk to him, she decided she wasn’t going to be picky and wasn’t going to push him away needlessly. “His name’s Ryeowook, Kim Ryeowook. He’s the youngest of three siblings. Jungwook, Jisun, then Ryeowook. They own or have a stake at practically all of the hotels in the country.”

“So that’s why he had the means to find out things about me,” he muttered, taking a seat once more. He met his sister’s gaze.

“He’s a good kid,” she offered.

“I’m sure he is,” he smirked. From what he had witnessed, he was far from good.

“But he does have a bit of an attitude,” she went on uncertainly. “The times I’ve been to their house, he was always throwing a tantrum of some sort.” She shrugged. “I remember Jisun almost pulling her own hair because she didn’t know what to do with him.”

“So I’m not the only one rude to my sister,” he snickered. He suddenly stopped when he realized what he admitted and glanced at his sister.

She smiled at him understandingly. “You’re not rude to me, Kyuhyun. Even if you are, I think it’s not your fault.”

Kyuhyun cleared his throat and abruptly stood up. “I still have to do my report. Excuse me.” With that, he left the room.

---

Hyukjae watched as Kyuhyun stared at someone across the library then avert his eyes back to his book. This happened so continuously that he was pretty sure his friend wasn’t really paying attention to his books anymore. It made him curious.

He gently nudged Sungmin. “Who are those kids?” He nodded towards three boys seated on the other side of the library.

“Hmm?” Sungmin looked up at the boys he was referring to. “This game is really getting tiring.”

He gave a pointed look at Sungmin then glanced at Kyuhyun. “Completely necessary.”

“Uh, the one on the left is Lee Donghae, beside him is Choi Siwon and right across from them is Kim Ryeowook,” Sungmin answered, bored.

Hyukjae rolled his eyes. “Kyuhyun’s watching them.”

“Oh,” Sungmin murmured. “Because it was Choi Siwon who confiscated Kyuhyun’s Bugatti.”

“Really?” Hyukjae asked in surprise, looking towards the boys again. He then smirked.

The three seemed to be working on something seriously, only talking quietly for a few seconds then going back to work again. Ryeowook suddenly stood up and walked towards the shelves in the back.

Suddenly, the sound of Kyuhyun’s chair sounded. Hyukjae and Sungmin both looked up at Kyuhyun standing to leave.

“Where are you going?” Sungmin asked.

“I don’t answer to you,” was Kyuhyun’s only retort.

“I really want to smack him when he does that,” Sungmin grumbled.

---

Ryeowook scanned the shelved books as he walked farther away from their table. He looked back and saw that Donghae and Siwon weren’t looking at him and slipped into another empty row of bookshelves. He leaned back and closed his eyes for a bit, letting out a deep sigh. Sometimes he felt like he just wanted to get away. Even from his friends.

He brought out a candy bar and started eating it.

“It’s tough keeping up an act, isn’t it?” a voice broke into his peace.

Ryeowook straightened too quickly, too startled, that he knocked a couple of books to the floor. He left the books on the floor and glared at the owner of the voice, stuffing his candy bar in his pocket.

“Are you eating?” Kyuhyun asked in disbelief.

“What are you doing here?” Ryeowook snapped, picking up two of the books and returning them randomly in the shelves.

“I’ve been watching you, Kim Ryeowook,” Kyuhyun mentioned his name slowly, a smirk tugging at his lips when Ryeowook’s eyes widened. “Yes, I know who you are and I know a lot more than you think.”

“I see you finally grew some brains and have become a creep, too,” Ryeowook responded in the same manner, chuckling. “Congratulations. Now if you’ll excuse me…” He started to walk away.

“You have to take back what you said,” Kyuhyun called after him.

“What are you talking about?” Ryeowook demanded, turning back.

“About me not caring for people and only caring for myself, about me not being happy and not knowing anything about friendship,” Kyuhyun’s answer came out in a rush. “You need to take it back.”

Ryeowook look stunned for a moment then snickered. “Why, is the truth too much for you to handle?” He smirked at him and started walking away.

Ryeowook was at the end of the aisle, when Kyuhyun answered, “Yes.”

The smaller male froze in his steps. When Kyuhyun didn’t say anything else, he slowly turned around, facing him again.

Kyuhyun was in the middle of the aisle, while Ryeowook was at the end. They stared at each other, both not knowing what to say. Ryeowook knew, from what information he had gathered about him, that Kyuhyun wasn’t the type to admit weakness. In fact he was pretty sure that Kyuhyun believed he didn’t have a weakness. He was trained to not have one.

“Just take it back,” Kyuhyun cleared his throat to ease away the awkwardness. “And then I’ll forget whatever you did to me and we can go on with our separate lives.”

Ryeowook was torn between wanting to smack his face and being sympathetic because, really, Kyuhyun didn’t seem to know that Kyuhyun did something to him first. But that seemed so childish and so long ago, compared the seeming issue at hand. He didn’t know what to think of this unforeseen development.

“Are you…?” Ryeowook stammered a bit. “Are you second-guessing yourself?” He cleared his throat and placed a sneer on his face. “Is the Cho Kyuhyun doubting himself? Is he suddenly starting to care?”

While Kyuhyun pondered what answer to give the annoying person who suddenly barged into his life and distorting everything he thought he knew, Donghae suddenly wandered into their aisle. He had been curious as to why Ryeowook hadn’t been back yet.

“Everything okay here?” Donghae cautiously asked, looking from Ryeowook to Kyuhyun and back again. “You’re not—is he hurting you in any way?” he then proceeded to ask Ryeowook, looking him over.

Ryeowook stood there for a second, not saying or doing anything. Then he paints another smirk on his face. “He wishes,” he stated, crossing his arms on his chest. “There’s no double crossing me.” He looked straight into Kyuhyun’s eyes. “Leave me alone.” He walks away without a backward glance.

Kyuhyun found himself following after him with his eyes again.

---

Kyuhyun became something like a hermit the weeks that followed after that. He went to classes, slipping in right at the minute the professor started class and leaving as soon as it ended. He couldn’t care less about seeing people at the moment. All he wanted to do is finish university as soon as he could so he could get out of there as quickly as possible. He just wanted to be able to be qualified to help with their shipping business and just get on with his life.

Kyuhyun jogged down the steps of the library, looking to his left and to his right to make sure that no one was really around. When he needed to go to the library, he went really early in the morning or really late just before it closed. He never studied there anymore. And now it was almost seven in the evening. He had begged the librarian to let him stay and look for a couple of books that he needed for a group research he was helping with, a group he hadn’t even met with yet. All his research he sent electronically or through their chauffeur. His group mates really had no cause for complaints. He was doing more than his fair share of the work.

“Hey you,” Sungmin greeted, coming into step beside him. He chose to ignore that Kyuhyun actually jumped with his sudden greeting and appearance.

“What do you want?” Kyuhyun demanded, crossing the street to the parking lot, where his car was parked.

“Is that for our research?” Sungmin nodded towards the books he was carrying.

Kyuhyun stopped just as he unlocked his car. “Our?”

Sungmin stared at him. “Quality Management Standards,” he knowingly stated. When Kyuhyun’s eyes merely widened, he went on in disbelief, “You do know that we are in the same group, right?”

“Yes.” When Sungmin merely quirked an eyebrow, he continued, “Look, I haven’t been slacking,” Kyuhyun responded. “I’ve been sending emails.”

“You’ve been sending them to me,” Sungmin shared. Kyuhyun gave him a blank stare. “In all the years we’ve been friends, you never even bothered knowing what my email address is?”

“Why should I? It doesn’t matter,” Kyuhyun retorted. He opened the door to the backseat of his car, throwing the books in and closing it. “Look, I have to go. I’ll just send you what I finish tonight.” He got in the car.

“We’re working on it in my house tonight,” Sungmin told him, getting into the passenger’s seat. “And you’re coming.”

“But I can’t,” Kyuhyun panicked.

“Why not?” Sungmin challenged. “It’s just a group project, Kyuhyun. What’s going on with you, anyway? We’re used to you avoiding everyone else. But why are you avoiding Hyukjae and I, too?”

“I’m not,” Kyuhyun grumbled as he started the car. “I’ve been busy.”

Sungmin rolled his eyes and looked out of the window. “A likely story.”

“A true story,” Kyuhyun corrected him with a huff.

“What is up with you, Kyuhyun?” Sungmin questioned, turning in his seat to look at him. “I know you don’t like people, but have you grown to not like Hyukjae and I, too?”

Kyuhyun pulled the car to a stop to accommodate the red light. He looked back at him. “What are you talking about? Why are you being so dramatic?”

“That’s right, Kyuhyun, don’t answer the question,” Sungmin spat, visibly upset. “We never ask anything from you. The least you can do is actually want to be our friend.”

Kyuhyun pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, as the car started moving again. “We are friends. What are you saying?”

“Do you even know what friendship means?” Sungmin snapped. “Or are you truly too good for us now? Are you tired of having to lug us around everywhere? Or is Kim Ryeowook someone you’d rather be friends with instead? I’ve seen you looking at him, Kyuhyun. Do you think he’d be a better friend that we would ever be?”

The car stopped abruptly. Sungmin held out his hands to the dashboard to avoid bumping his head on it.

Sungmin turned towards Kyuhyun, his brows furrowed. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Get out,” Kyuhyun darkly requested, unlocking the car.

“What?” Sungmin replied in incredulity.

“Get. Out,” Kyuhyun repeated. He leaned to Sungmin’s side of the car and opened the passenger’s side door.

“You can’t be serious,” Sungmin retorted. “You’re really asking me to walk all the way home?”

“It’s only a couple of blocks away,” Kyuhyun told him. “I’m sure you can manage.” He nodded towards the sidewalk. “Out.”

“Kyuhyun, you’re being awfully childish about this,” Sungmin stated as he got out of the car.

“Good for you that we’re not friends then,” was the only thing Kyuhyun said as he leaned over to close the door.

Kyuhyun blatantly ignored Sungmin’s stunned expression and drove away.

---

Ryeowook fixed his suit as he stepped out of the car. With a small smile, he greeted the staff that ushered him in. As he stepped into one of the hotels that his family owned, staff left and right greeted him and bowed respectfully. He was pretty well known in the hotels because he made it a point to visit each and every one of them to do some quality checks of his own. He wasn’t sure if his family knew about his visits, but he was there because he was also concerned about their business. Whether his parents cared or not, well, he couldn’t do anything about that anymore. They never really seemed to care about anything he did, except when he created a scene or a scandal.

He entered the bar restaurant, after consulting with the concierge about which room he would be staying in, and surveyed the place. There were enough people on such a Wednesday night. Not too crowded, but not one that would be cause for concern. There was a jazz band playing onstage and the guests seemed to be enjoying themselves, swaying to and fro to the music.

“The usual, Mr. Kim?” the young and handsome bartender asked as he wiped the counter clean.

“I’d like something stronger, Henry,” Ryeowook requested.

“A lot on your mind?” Henry asked conversationally as he created his drink.

Ryeowook smirked. “A bit more than the usual,” he muttered.

“You seem very subdued today, if you don’t mind me saying,” Henry remarked.

“Yes, well, I’m sure you’re all tired of the racket,” Ryeowook responded, smiling a little.

He knew what the bartender was talking about. There were two versions of him doing quality checks on their hotels. The first was, of course, actually looking through everything, how the rooms were made, how the restaurants and bars were managed, how the amenities were tended to. And then there was him getting himself wasted. The latter was usually how he did things.

A glass breaking echoed from the other end of the bar. Henry threw the washcloth under the counter and murmured something under his breath.

“Everything okay?” Ryeowook asked, glancing at the customer at the other end of the bar. He had his head bowed, resting on the bar.

“That’s the third glass he’s broken this evening,” Henry told him apologetically. Even if he and Ryeowook were friendly, he was still the boss’ kid and, technically, also the boss.

The guest waved his hand around and pushed another glass off the bar. Henry muttered a soft curse and moved to go to him when the guest lifted his head off the counter and straightened up. Ryeowook raised a hand to get Henry’s attention.

“Let me handle this,” Ryeowook suggested.

“I’m not sure if it’s wise for hotel owners to deal directly with drunken guests,” Henry warily told him.

Ryeowook gave him a smile. “But this is no ordinary drunken guest.” He got off his seat and approached the practically wasted male. Lifting a hand to tap his shoulder, he spoke, “I think you’ve had enough for tonight, Mr. Cho.”

Kyuhyun lifted his head and turned it towards him. A smirk crept across his face. “It’s you,” he announced, giggling. “It’s youuuu.” He raised his hand and pointed at him.

“And it’s you,” Ryeowook dryly returned, glancing around, noticing the curious looks of some of the other guests. “What are you doing here?”

Kyuhyun giggled and gestured majestically, knocking down the wine bottle on the bar. Henry caught it just before it crash to the floor. Ryeowook stood there impassively, his hands in his pockets.

“Oops,” Kyuhyun announced, a big grin on his face.

“I can’t believe you get drunk on wine,” Ryeowook commented, rolling his eyes.

“It’s his fourth bottle,” Henry told him.

“Well, well,” Ryeowook turned to look at Kyuhyun who was now slumped on the counter. “At least we know he’s a classy partier.”

“Do you want me to call staff to get him to a room?” Henry asked.

Ryeowook surveyed the surroundings once more, thinking. “No,” he slowly decided. “Let’s use the back doors.”

---

Henry watched as Ryeowook carefully took off Kyuhyun’s shoes, and then mulled taking off his coat. Kyuhyun was lying face down on the bed, hands on the sides of his head, sleeping like a baby.

“This is trouble,” Ryeowook groaned lightly, sitting on the edge of the bed and watching their guest sleep.

“You could’ve just let the guards throw him out on the street,” Henry stated. “You did the same to Donghae once.”

Ryeowook snickered at the memory. “Well Donghae was asking for it,” he remembered. “I’ve never known anyone to be as annoying as him when drunk.”

“You took him right back in afterwards, though,” Henry continued. He smiled a little at the memory and looked at Ryeowook fondly.

“Mmm,” Ryeowook murmured, still looking at Kyuhyun.

“I’m not the only one who sees this side of you, you know, the real side,” Henry went on, tilting his head as if studying him. “You slip one too many times.”

“You’re the only one I willingly show it to, though,” Ryeowook replied. He smiled and corrected himself. “You and Jongwoon.”

“And why is that?” Henry pressed. “It’s always been such a mystery to me.”

He’d known Ryeowook ever since he started working as the bartender to the hotel, which was three years ago. He didn’t know anyone. His Korean was crap. But he knew wine and alcohol and that was how he and the son of the owner of the hotel got acquainted.

Ryeowook was surprisingly nice the first time they met. He sat at the very end seat at the bar and ordered the finest wine. He knew who he was of course and served him what he had asked. They talked. When he wasn’t serving drinks, they talked about anything and everything. And he wondered why everyone told him to be careful whenever he was around in the hotel. There were all sorts of things he’d heard about him and each day that they talked he proved them to be untrue.

“Because I trust you,” Ryeowook responded, finally looking at him. “And I trust this isn’t something you’re going to talk about or allow anyone to talk about.”

Henry nodded and, without another word, stepped out of the room. He knew when Ryeowook didn’t want to further talk about something and he knew when he was being dismissed.

---

Ryeowook laid down on the other side of the bed, coat and shoes both off, and turned the television on. News, cartoons, dramas, music shows slid in and out of the screen and he barely paid attention. He stiffened for a second when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket.

“Yeah,” he blankly answered the call, still changing channels.

“Where are you?” It was Siwon on the line.

“Park Hyatt,” Ryeowook answered absentmindedly.

“Alright,” Siwon said. The phone then sounded like it was being passed.

“We’re coming over,” Donghae announced. “Penthouse?” Kyuhyun stirred in his sleep, groaning. Donghae paused. “Are you with someone?”

Ryeowook sat us straight and got off the bed. Kyuhyun opened his eyes, blinking rapidly, and slowly sat up.

“I’m not,” Ryeowook snapped. “Don’t come here.” He ended the call and put it back in his pocket.

Kyuhyun was looking at him, a mixture of surprise and annoyance on his face. “What are you doing here?”

“You’re drunk,” was what Ryeowook merely said. “You need to lie down and sleep it off.” He walked across the room to the small kitchen and poured him a glass of water. He then placed it on the bedside table nearest Kyuhyun.

“Is this another one of your games?” Kyuhyun tried to speak with some spite, but failed because of the heavy pounding in his head.

“Change of clothes courtesy of the hotel,” Ryeowook told him, gesturing at the clothes on the foot of the bed. “I drew up a bath for you if you’re up for it. There’s food in the kitchen, snacks, drinks—I took out the wine. You know what number to press on the phone if you need anything. You can help yourself to whatever you want.” He picked up his coat from the back of the sofa and started putting it on.

“Where are you going?” Kyuhyun rasped.

“Leaving to give you privacy,” Ryeowook said. “I know how much you like to be alone.”

Despite his throbbing head, Kyuhyun knew that the smaller male didn’t mean anything harsh by what he said. He was simply speaking of the truth. Kyuhyun wasn’t one to want company. He hated it, which was why he push everyone out of his life, including his sister, who obviously stilled cared about him, and the two only two people who’d ever dared to call him their friend.

He was right for the most part, except…

“Wait,” Kyuhyun called him back just as Ryeowook’s hand touched the doorknob. Ryeowook turned to face him expectantly. “Why are you doing this?

“Why am I doing what?” Ryeowook threw back at him.

“Why are you being nice?” Kyuhyun paraphrased.

“This isn’t being nice,” Ryeowook corrected him, smirking. “This is being well-mannered. Enjoy your evening.” He gave a stilted bow then moved to leave the room.

“Hot party tonight?” Kyuhyun got out, groaning when a sharp pain thudded in his head.

“And what is it to you?” Ryeowook snapped, facing him again, annoyed.

Kyuhyun smirked. “Why do you keep pretending to be a brat?” He leaned back on the bed and closed his eyes.

“You have some nerve—,” Ryeowook began, annoyed. But he was very much taken aback. He’d been only called out on his attitude three times in his life. Jongwoon. Henry. Then there was Kyuhyun, the most infuriating and most straightforward one by far.

“Just go already,” Kyuhyun muttered, the pain in his head starting to become unbearable. He turned on his side, his back facing Ryeowook. “I think I’m an expert at knowing when people are in such a rush to get away from me. You are being that right now and it’s tiring me,” he added, chuckling.

“You are so infuriating!” Ryeowook practically screamed. He opened the door, turned around and slammed it shut.

Comments

[veezhi.livejournal.com]

Eeeppps!!! haha! I love this I love this! It's such an easy read. And it's refreshing to read something other than asshole Kyuhyun and submissive Ryeowook. The two of them being brats and all is fun. The dialogues were also funny.

I just have to say... I'm in love with glutton!Ryeowook. Thank you for fulfilling that side of my request. Weeee~ hahaha.

Eunhyuk and Sungmin... I was smiling widely while reading about them. haha! And I still wonder... what did Donghae do when he was drunk that had Ryeowook throwing him out? ahahaha!

XDD I'm still waiting for the food stealing scene. Good job Frances! And THANKS A LOT! *hugs*

[airplanewishes.livejournal.com]

/big sigh of relief/

You don't know how happy that makes me. I'm glad you liked it so far. Let me tell you, it was really interesting to write brat!Kyuhyun and brat!Ryeowook. LOL. But I thought it was unfair that Kyuhyun gets to have all the time. There were times when I wanted to smack both of them, though. :))

I promised myself I would get glutton!Ryeowook right at the very least. :D

/dances

[veezhi.livejournal.com]

haha! *hugs*
It's nice to write them like this for a change. And yeah, in this story, there were times when I wanted to shake them and ask them "WTH IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" haha

Glutton Wookie ♥♥♥

[snowychrys.livejournal.com]

*glomps you*

You already know what I think about the story thus far :P ♥

[moonshine19.livejournal.com]

please continue!!!... T_T
(i can't. i just want to read and comment the load of violent thoughts later hahahahhah)