The Letter
Title: The Letter
Author: Ink_River10
Pairing: HanChul
Rating: PG
Genre: One Shot, Half-AU, Half-crack
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: I do not own Super Junior. If I did, you would know it!
Summary: Heechul receives his letter and follows the instructions all the way to September 1st.
Kim Heechul stared down at the letter resting on the table in front of him. He literally had no idea what to think.
It had arrived in the oddest way, and even now Heechul was uncertain if this was some enormous prank led by Eunhyuk to get him back for stealing his red jumper a few nights ago. But no, this was too elaborate for Eunhyuk, whose pranks usually involved immature things like slime on Heechul’s favorite shirt or impossibly hot peppers stuffed into innocent looking food.
No, this wasn’t Eunhyuk, and it wasn’t any of the other members either. This was real. It had to be. The letter was written on very impressive parchment paper, and once he read it, he had no doubt that his whole life was about to change. Enclosed were a set of very specific instructions, which made his head spin a bit.
He folded the letter, put it into a box under his bed that no one knew about (that held his most precious memories) and went to bed, staring at the ceiling and wondering why it had come now. Now, of all times, when Super Junior were promoting and they needed him.
He fell asleep, dreaming of a future that led him far away from the dorms and the life he had known for the last seven years.
He followed the instructions, even though they were odd and left him feeling more confused than he had been when he first received the letter. But it was the announcement that hurt the worst. The instructions in his letter had said not to tell anyone anything. He was to announce that he was enrolling in the South Korean army on September 1, and he would not return for a little over two years.
The whole week after his announcement was a blur. Talk shows, game shows, radio shows, twitter, message boards - the whole world seemed stunned that Kim Heechul was entering the army well before their elder leader, Leeteuk. Heechul smiled, talked, posed, danced, sang, and pretended.
“I don’t want you to go with me to the train station.” Heechul sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose over his new fashionably geeky glasses. Shindong, Sungmin, Donghae and Leeteuk fidgeted and argued, but he stayed firm. “No. You’ll be on the way back from Japan and you all will be exhausted. I’m going alone, and that is that.”
It was when Donghae began to cry that Heechul broke. “Okay okay fine!” He cried, smacking the younger man, desperate to make him stop crying enormous, fat pathetic tears at the idea of sending Heechul to the station alone. In truth, Heechul still had no intention of letting them come with him. He would find a way to go alone. He had done so before when Hangeng still lived with them. They had perfected the art of sneaking out. And Heechul was going to do the same…only this time, alone.
He waited, knowing they would soon leave for Japan without him. It stung to watch them go, knowing he was lying to all of them. He let them fuss over him, let them hug him until his shirt was wet and his chest hurt from keeping it in. He smiled, and ruffled their hair, and teased each of them until they were loaded into the van, ready for their trip to Japan.
Once they were gone, Heechul pretended he wasn’t crying as he packed the last of the things he was instructed to bring into a large suitcase. He would miss them. He had no idea what was going to happen to them. The ache of missing them, and the terrible uncertainty of his future ate at him until he was too exhausted to do anything but sleep.
He woke in the early morning, knowing they were already on a plane home. He left them a note, knowing they would be upset with him for doing it this way, but having no choice. His instructions were clear.
Leeteuk, Yesung, Siwon, Sungmin, Kyuhyun, Shindong, Donghae, Eunhyuk, and Ryeowookie---
Please don’t be angry with me, but I had to leave this way. I would rather remember your smiles than everyone blubbering at the train station. I know you will make the name of Super Junior famous around the world while I am gone. I will be in contact as soon as I can. I promise!
Love,
Your Great Space Star
Kim Heechul
He never knew how he managed to get out of the building with his suitcase without being noticed by guards and the fans that always seemed to be there, waiting for any sign of them. He stuffed the suitcase into a taxi and they set off for the train station.
It was a short ride, but the butterflies in his stomach began to flutter and increase the closer they got. Would he be able to do this? He never thought he was cut out for this kind of thing. Would the fans forget him? Would he go crazy? Would he meet anyone he knew or would he be alone, trying to learn all this on his own? He didn’t know.
They arrived at the train station too soon, and Heechul got out, looking around the brightly lit station. He thanked the driver, paid him and gave him a generous tip. The man grinned at the wad of cash and took off, leaving him alone. He put his head down and walked briskly inside. The station was huge, and there were people everywhere. Oddly no one seemed to notice him, of which he was grateful, and yet oddly sad. He wasn’t going to be the famous Kim Heechul anymore, he was going to be a nobody. It would be challenging not to act like a spoiled brat when someone didn’t know who he was.
He took a deep breath and stepped forward, his eyes searching for and then finding the right platform. Clutching his ticket in one hand and the letter in the other, he closed his eyes. He exhaled a breath, said a prayer, and leaned nonchalantly against the barrier.
Although he had only been half expecting it to be real, he was still overcome with a jolt of excitement when he actually passed through it, half stumbling into the other side. He glanced around to see that the entire train station had transformed. There were people everywhere, some running about, some laughing, some calling out to others. He glanced down at the letter gripped tightly in his hands.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Welcome to Yongmasul School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Dear Kim Heechul,
We are pleased to invite you to attend South Korea’s Yongmasul School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. A list of school supplies and books are found below. Please do not reveal the nature of this letter to anyone other than a student or teacher at Yongmasul School. You may inform your family and friends (and in your case, your management and fans) that you will be enrolling in the South Korean army. Your army service is heretofore cancelled and you will attend this school for the 28 months indicated in your enrollment.
Please be at Seoul Rail/Metro Station at 9am on Thursday, September the First, 2011.
We look forward to seeing you at our school.
Sincerely,
Kim Kyungho
Deputy Headmaster
Yongmasul School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Heechul let out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding and folded the letter. He put it in his pocket and walked towards the bright green steam engine, watching it billowing smoke as it sat idle in on its tracks. There were strange looking people everywhere, and Heechul felt a little odd and disappointed when not a single one of them seemed to recognize him. It was as if he had left the Great Space Star Kim Heechul behind him when he passed through the barrier into this world.
“YA! Hyung!” Someone shouted, and Heechul looked up. His mouth fell open as he saw none other than Kim Youngwoon running towards him. He was dressed in black pants and a black sweater with a vivid red dragon emblazoned on it. “Heechul-hyung!” He laughed, grabbing Heechul into a bear-hug that nearly cracked his ribs. “You got your letter finally, huh?” Kangin grinned. Heechul blinked in speechless shock.
“Kangin-ah? I thought you….” He stammered.
“Yeah thought I was in the army, huh?” Kangin grinned, grabbing Heechul’s shoulders and pulling him forward. “Nope. I’m at Yongmasul too. I’m out in April though. I’m kinda bummed about that. I like it here.” He rambled, tugging Heechul through the crowd. “You’re going to love it here, hyung! Hey…where did…Ah! There he is. Hyung!” Kangin shouted, making Heechul nearly trip as he brushed past a pretty girl with pale skin and a bright green dragon on her backpack.
Heechul looked up just in time to see the other man Kangin was shouting at. But when the man turned around, Heechul felt like the whole world had gone on its end. The man smiled, his familiar, handsome face framed by dark, wispy hair that Heechul’s fingers knew as well as his own.
“Hello, Heechul.” Hangeng smiled.
Heechul stared at him for a moment, wondering if the ground beneath him was moving or if he was keeling over, or if he was about to go down on his knees in utter astonishment. But nothing of the sort happened. Instead, Kangin grinned and jogged off, leaving them alone.
“What….I don’t--” Heechul stammered. “I don’t understand! I thought you were in China!”
Hangeng shook his head, looking mildly sheepish. “I couldn’t tell you the truth. Not until you got your own letter and got here.”
Heechul barely registered the shining golden dragon on Hangeng’s sweater, because he was still staring at him. He felt like the last two years of his life had been a crazy emotional rollercoaster that he had just finally stepped off from. Hangeng smiled at him - that beautiful, kind, sweet, and slightly wicked smile that Heechul had fallen in love with all those years ago.
“Come on.” Hangeng said. “We should get on the train and get seats.” Heechul only nodded and followed him, amazed when Hangeng’s fingers linked into his. “I’m glad you’re here, Chul.” He said, his hand warm in Heechul’s.
They stepped on to the bright green train and found the compartment where Hangeng had already stored his suitcase. They lifted Heechul’s into the bin and sat down, just looking at each other. Heechul felt a warm rush of something exciting and nervous flood his chest, and a lump formed in his throat.
“I’ve missed you.” He admitted thickly. Hangeng moved to sit beside him and kissed him without hesitation, even though there were still several people moving around the platform, all within sight of them.
“I’ve missed you too.”
Heechul closed his eyes and rested his forehead against Hangeng’s cheek. He had no idea if he would be any good at magic, or what the next two years would bring, but he didn’t care. As he felt the train begin to move, he tightened his grip on Hangeng’s hand and exhaled as they began their next journey together into the unknown.
.
Author's Note: So this morning I was listening to Harry Potter on CD in the car on the way to work and heard the part where Harry receives his LETTER and is supposed to start school on SEPTEMBER FIRST and my brain went: PLINK! HEECHUL IS GOING TO HOGWARTS! *GASP*
But really...Hogwarts is in England so I created the Korean school. Each of the houses are different dragons. The name of the school literally means "DragonWizard" (thank you, Kadyn!)
I hope you enjoyed this fic, as I needed something else to think about other than Heechul going into the army for 2 years.
Author: Ink_River10
Pairing: HanChul
Rating: PG
Genre: One Shot, Half-AU, Half-crack
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: I do not own Super Junior. If I did, you would know it!
Summary: Heechul receives his letter and follows the instructions all the way to September 1st.
Kim Heechul stared down at the letter resting on the table in front of him. He literally had no idea what to think.
It had arrived in the oddest way, and even now Heechul was uncertain if this was some enormous prank led by Eunhyuk to get him back for stealing his red jumper a few nights ago. But no, this was too elaborate for Eunhyuk, whose pranks usually involved immature things like slime on Heechul’s favorite shirt or impossibly hot peppers stuffed into innocent looking food.
No, this wasn’t Eunhyuk, and it wasn’t any of the other members either. This was real. It had to be. The letter was written on very impressive parchment paper, and once he read it, he had no doubt that his whole life was about to change. Enclosed were a set of very specific instructions, which made his head spin a bit.
He folded the letter, put it into a box under his bed that no one knew about (that held his most precious memories) and went to bed, staring at the ceiling and wondering why it had come now. Now, of all times, when Super Junior were promoting and they needed him.
He fell asleep, dreaming of a future that led him far away from the dorms and the life he had known for the last seven years.
He followed the instructions, even though they were odd and left him feeling more confused than he had been when he first received the letter. But it was the announcement that hurt the worst. The instructions in his letter had said not to tell anyone anything. He was to announce that he was enrolling in the South Korean army on September 1, and he would not return for a little over two years.
The whole week after his announcement was a blur. Talk shows, game shows, radio shows, twitter, message boards - the whole world seemed stunned that Kim Heechul was entering the army well before their elder leader, Leeteuk. Heechul smiled, talked, posed, danced, sang, and pretended.
“I don’t want you to go with me to the train station.” Heechul sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose over his new fashionably geeky glasses. Shindong, Sungmin, Donghae and Leeteuk fidgeted and argued, but he stayed firm. “No. You’ll be on the way back from Japan and you all will be exhausted. I’m going alone, and that is that.”
It was when Donghae began to cry that Heechul broke. “Okay okay fine!” He cried, smacking the younger man, desperate to make him stop crying enormous, fat pathetic tears at the idea of sending Heechul to the station alone. In truth, Heechul still had no intention of letting them come with him. He would find a way to go alone. He had done so before when Hangeng still lived with them. They had perfected the art of sneaking out. And Heechul was going to do the same…only this time, alone.
He waited, knowing they would soon leave for Japan without him. It stung to watch them go, knowing he was lying to all of them. He let them fuss over him, let them hug him until his shirt was wet and his chest hurt from keeping it in. He smiled, and ruffled their hair, and teased each of them until they were loaded into the van, ready for their trip to Japan.
Once they were gone, Heechul pretended he wasn’t crying as he packed the last of the things he was instructed to bring into a large suitcase. He would miss them. He had no idea what was going to happen to them. The ache of missing them, and the terrible uncertainty of his future ate at him until he was too exhausted to do anything but sleep.
He woke in the early morning, knowing they were already on a plane home. He left them a note, knowing they would be upset with him for doing it this way, but having no choice. His instructions were clear.
Leeteuk, Yesung, Siwon, Sungmin, Kyuhyun, Shindong, Donghae, Eunhyuk, and Ryeowookie---
Please don’t be angry with me, but I had to leave this way. I would rather remember your smiles than everyone blubbering at the train station. I know you will make the name of Super Junior famous around the world while I am gone. I will be in contact as soon as I can. I promise!
Love,
Your Great Space Star
Kim Heechul
He never knew how he managed to get out of the building with his suitcase without being noticed by guards and the fans that always seemed to be there, waiting for any sign of them. He stuffed the suitcase into a taxi and they set off for the train station.
It was a short ride, but the butterflies in his stomach began to flutter and increase the closer they got. Would he be able to do this? He never thought he was cut out for this kind of thing. Would the fans forget him? Would he go crazy? Would he meet anyone he knew or would he be alone, trying to learn all this on his own? He didn’t know.
They arrived at the train station too soon, and Heechul got out, looking around the brightly lit station. He thanked the driver, paid him and gave him a generous tip. The man grinned at the wad of cash and took off, leaving him alone. He put his head down and walked briskly inside. The station was huge, and there were people everywhere. Oddly no one seemed to notice him, of which he was grateful, and yet oddly sad. He wasn’t going to be the famous Kim Heechul anymore, he was going to be a nobody. It would be challenging not to act like a spoiled brat when someone didn’t know who he was.
He took a deep breath and stepped forward, his eyes searching for and then finding the right platform. Clutching his ticket in one hand and the letter in the other, he closed his eyes. He exhaled a breath, said a prayer, and leaned nonchalantly against the barrier.
Although he had only been half expecting it to be real, he was still overcome with a jolt of excitement when he actually passed through it, half stumbling into the other side. He glanced around to see that the entire train station had transformed. There were people everywhere, some running about, some laughing, some calling out to others. He glanced down at the letter gripped tightly in his hands.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Welcome to Yongmasul School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Dear Kim Heechul,
We are pleased to invite you to attend South Korea’s Yongmasul School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. A list of school supplies and books are found below. Please do not reveal the nature of this letter to anyone other than a student or teacher at Yongmasul School. You may inform your family and friends (and in your case, your management and fans) that you will be enrolling in the South Korean army. Your army service is heretofore cancelled and you will attend this school for the 28 months indicated in your enrollment.
Please be at Seoul Rail/Metro Station at 9am on Thursday, September the First, 2011.
We look forward to seeing you at our school.
Sincerely,
Kim Kyungho
Deputy Headmaster
Yongmasul School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Heechul let out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding and folded the letter. He put it in his pocket and walked towards the bright green steam engine, watching it billowing smoke as it sat idle in on its tracks. There were strange looking people everywhere, and Heechul felt a little odd and disappointed when not a single one of them seemed to recognize him. It was as if he had left the Great Space Star Kim Heechul behind him when he passed through the barrier into this world.
“YA! Hyung!” Someone shouted, and Heechul looked up. His mouth fell open as he saw none other than Kim Youngwoon running towards him. He was dressed in black pants and a black sweater with a vivid red dragon emblazoned on it. “Heechul-hyung!” He laughed, grabbing Heechul into a bear-hug that nearly cracked his ribs. “You got your letter finally, huh?” Kangin grinned. Heechul blinked in speechless shock.
“Kangin-ah? I thought you….” He stammered.
“Yeah thought I was in the army, huh?” Kangin grinned, grabbing Heechul’s shoulders and pulling him forward. “Nope. I’m at Yongmasul too. I’m out in April though. I’m kinda bummed about that. I like it here.” He rambled, tugging Heechul through the crowd. “You’re going to love it here, hyung! Hey…where did…Ah! There he is. Hyung!” Kangin shouted, making Heechul nearly trip as he brushed past a pretty girl with pale skin and a bright green dragon on her backpack.
Heechul looked up just in time to see the other man Kangin was shouting at. But when the man turned around, Heechul felt like the whole world had gone on its end. The man smiled, his familiar, handsome face framed by dark, wispy hair that Heechul’s fingers knew as well as his own.
“Hello, Heechul.” Hangeng smiled.
Heechul stared at him for a moment, wondering if the ground beneath him was moving or if he was keeling over, or if he was about to go down on his knees in utter astonishment. But nothing of the sort happened. Instead, Kangin grinned and jogged off, leaving them alone.
“What….I don’t--” Heechul stammered. “I don’t understand! I thought you were in China!”
Hangeng shook his head, looking mildly sheepish. “I couldn’t tell you the truth. Not until you got your own letter and got here.”
Heechul barely registered the shining golden dragon on Hangeng’s sweater, because he was still staring at him. He felt like the last two years of his life had been a crazy emotional rollercoaster that he had just finally stepped off from. Hangeng smiled at him - that beautiful, kind, sweet, and slightly wicked smile that Heechul had fallen in love with all those years ago.
“Come on.” Hangeng said. “We should get on the train and get seats.” Heechul only nodded and followed him, amazed when Hangeng’s fingers linked into his. “I’m glad you’re here, Chul.” He said, his hand warm in Heechul’s.
They stepped on to the bright green train and found the compartment where Hangeng had already stored his suitcase. They lifted Heechul’s into the bin and sat down, just looking at each other. Heechul felt a warm rush of something exciting and nervous flood his chest, and a lump formed in his throat.
“I’ve missed you.” He admitted thickly. Hangeng moved to sit beside him and kissed him without hesitation, even though there were still several people moving around the platform, all within sight of them.
“I’ve missed you too.”
Heechul closed his eyes and rested his forehead against Hangeng’s cheek. He had no idea if he would be any good at magic, or what the next two years would bring, but he didn’t care. As he felt the train begin to move, he tightened his grip on Hangeng’s hand and exhaled as they began their next journey together into the unknown.
.
Author's Note: So this morning I was listening to Harry Potter on CD in the car on the way to work and heard the part where Harry receives his LETTER and is supposed to start school on SEPTEMBER FIRST and my brain went: PLINK! HEECHUL IS GOING TO HOGWARTS! *GASP*
But really...Hogwarts is in England so I created the Korean school. Each of the houses are different dragons. The name of the school literally means "DragonWizard" (thank you, Kadyn!)
I hope you enjoyed this fic, as I needed something else to think about other than Heechul going into the army for 2 years.