I'm different, so what?
Note: Too late for Kyu's birthday but too early to Siwon's. Well...
Thank you Cita for the picture
Kyuhyun hated being different because that made him a prey to those mocking kids. But someone convinced him that being different meant he was special.
Pairing : WonKyu, a little bit of YunJae
Genre : RomCom
Word Count : 3,625 words
Kyuhyun puffed his chubby cheeks. Waiting was not his thing. But he needed to wait for Ahra to finish her violin class. Her older sister would have a performance in two months' time, so she had to have an extra practice session.
He decided to spend his time by sitting on the swing on the small playground in front of their school. He saw his classmates play soccer while others were running along the track. He had every reason to keep his distance from his male friends. They were always rude to him, mocking him and teasing him until he really pissed off. They laughed at him whenever he finished last in the running race, they called him names whenever his teacher asked him to come in front of the class. But he was too afraid to fight back.
“Ouch!” Kyuhyun screamed when something hard hit his head. It was painful and he was about to cry. But he remembered what his Dad told him. He was 6 years old, he would go to elementary school soon. He must not cry. He bit his lower lip to hold the pain. He turned around and saw three bigger boys coming to his direction.
“Hey, Fatso! You have money?” The biggest among them shouted at Kyuhyun, while grabbing his collar.
“What do you want?” Kyuhyun said weakly with shaky voice.
“Shut up Fatso. Just give us your money!” The bulky boy said again. His eyes pierced into his soul and Kyuhyun thought he would die soon. He closed his eyes, silently praying that God would spare his life so he could hug his Mom and Dad and Ahra and tell them that he loved them.
But as Kyuhyun prepared for the worse, he heard a commotion and he was suddenly lying on the ground. He slowly opened his eyes and saw the three boys already ran away. Someone grabbed his hand softly and lifted him up until he could stand on his feet again.
“Are you okay?” that person asked.
Kyuhyun raised his head and met with a very handsome face. His savior was much taller and older. Judging from his uniform, he must be a high school student. His black jet hair was untidy, his eyes were comforting and his smile was sweet. “Hey, are you okay?” that person asked him again.
Kyuhyun nodded eagerly, flashing his sweet smile. “I'm fine. Thank you, hyung,” he said politely while bowing. Oh, he would have a sweet dream tonight about his knight in the shining armor.
That person chuckled and ruffled Kyuhyun's hair. Somehow, he enjoyed having his hair ruffled by a stranger while he usually would snap at whoever untidied his hair. “My name is Yunho,” that person said. “And this is my cousin, Siwon,” he said while motioning another boy, slightly bigger than Kyuhyun who had only stared at him in silence, to move forward.
“What are you doing here alone?” Yunho asked.
“I'm waiting for my Mom to pick me up. My noona is still in her class,” Kyuhyun explained. He never darted his eyes off Yunho.
“Okay... Let's just wait until your Mom arrives. Just in case those boys come back. Do you know them?” Yunho asked him again.
Kyuhyun shook his head. “They called me fatso. I hate it,” he grumbled.
Yunho chuckled. “You're not. You're okay.”
And Kyuhyun smiled. He loved the older boy already. “Oh, and I'm Kyuhyun,” he introduced himself, inwardly cursing for being impolite.
When his mother finally arrived, Yunho introduced himself and explained to her on what happened earlier. Yunho and Siwon went away and Kyuhyun could not take his eyes from the two figures until they slowly disappeared inside the school's gym.
It was hard for Kyuhyun to sleep that night. He kept moving from left to right to left again. He still remembered Yunho's face and how the older boy smiled and chuckled.
“Hyuk, do you think I fall in love?” he asked his monkey plushie. Then he turned to his clown fish plushie. “What do you think Hae?”
He stared at his toys. “I'll bring you to my piano class next week. I hope I can meet him again and I promise I will introduce you to him. And you must tell me if he's a nice boy or not.”
That night he dreamt of dancing with Yunho in a ball room full of people, who admired their performance. It was the best dream he ever had in his nearly seven years of life.
***
A week passed and it's Wednesday again. Since morning, Kyuhyun was eager to go to his piano lesson. And that surprised his mother but she shrugged it off, thinking it was nice to see his son became enthusiastic on music.
Even his piano teacher, Miss Kwon Yuri, was surprised to see Kyuhyun could not stay still during the class. He kept staring at the window, as if waiting for someone to appear. But he could not tell her that he was waiting for someone, right? It would be impolite. So, he just blushed, feeling ashamed of himself. But he unconsiously sighed in relief when Miss Yuri told him that they finished their session.
Kyuhyun sat on the swing again, hoping Yunho would come sooner.
His face turned much brighter when he saw Yunho coming with his younger cousin.
“Hey,” Yunho greeted him.
Kyuhyun stood up and bowed. “Hello hyung,” he politely said.
“Are you okay? Did anyone bother you?” the taller boy asked him.
Kyuhyun shook his head. He gathered his courage and asked. “What are you doing here hyung? I mean... What class do you take here?”
Yunho smiled. “I'm taking my dance class while Siwon is taking taekwondo.”
Kyuhyun mouthed a long oooo and smiled widely, so wide until his cheeks hurt. Yunho bid him goodbye and walked inside the building while Kyuhyun kept staring at Yunho's back until he disappeared.
***
“Mom, I don't want to learn piano anymore. I want to take the dance class,” Kyuhyun told his mother later that night.
The lady raised her eyebrows while staring at her beloved son. “Why do you want to learn dancing all of a sudden?”
Kyuhyun was blushing. He would never tell his mother that he just wanted to be in the same room with Yunho. She would be furious. But he was persistent. And after a banter of argument, his mother finally gave up. Or he thought she did.
The next Wednesday his mother met with Miss Yuri and complained that Kyuhyun wanted to switch into dancing, instead of continuing his piano lesson. His teacher raised her eyebrows in curiousity and Kyuhyun knew she would probe him until he spilled out the bean.
“Because those boys called me fat,” he reasoned. He knew that was lame but apparently his teacher and mother bought that.
“Oh honey,” his mother hugged him and rubbed his back. “Why didn't you tell me so? Well, I think it's alright for you to take the dance class but after you finish your piano lesson. Deal?”
Kyuhyun thought for a while. It's better than a “no” answer. So he agreed and nodded eagerly.
Miss Yuri brought him to meet his dance teacher and Kyuhyun nearly hopped in his every step. She chuckled to see his cute act. But his cheerful face faltered when he saw the class. He saw all girls and they were wearing baby pink leotard, baby pink ankle socks, baby pink tutu and baby pink ballet slippers.
He widened his eyes in shock while all the girls were giggling when they saw a boy entering their class. A young lady, who looked very beautiful and very graceful, approached them and greeted Kyuhyun's mother.
“This is Miss Choi Sooyoung and she will be your teacher Kyuhyun,” Miss Yuri told him.
Kyuhyun shook his head. “But... But... But I don't want to be in this class,” he whispered, almost inaudible.
Miss Sooyoung kneeled down so she could be in the same eye level with the dejected boy. “But this is the only class available for a 6 year old child,” she said softly. “Why don't you give it a try first?”
Kyuhyun shook his head again. “I want to learn dancing with the older boys,” he insisted.
The dance teacher smiled. “Do you mean you want to join the jazz class?”
Kyuhyun only nodded although he had no idea what kind of dance class that Yunho took. Both teachers whispered to each other and Miss Yuri grabbed his hand and took him to another room in the second floor. They quietly entered the room and Kyuhyun widened his eyes when he saw Yunho standing in the middle of the class while other students sat down encircling him.
A much older man with ponytail was standing outside the circle and shouted several time to Yunho who tried to make a 720 spin.
Kyuhyun had his jaw literally dropped. Judging from what Yunho just did, he understood why Miss Yuri took him to the earlier class.
“I can't do this,” he whispered, while tightening his grip on his teacher's hand. He was scared.
His teacher kneeled down and asked him. “Do you still want to join the dance class?”
Kyuhyun looked around. He felt so sad. He would never be able to be with Yunho in the same dance class. But he was not a quitter. He stared at Miss Yuri and said: “Yes.” He was determined to learn something, to impress Yunho on his efforts.
***
Kyuhyun tried hard to ignore the giggles from his classmates. He did not care if he looked weird in his white sleeved leotard, black bike short, white ankle socks and white ballet slippers. He was determined that one day he would be able to dance well to make Yunho notice him.
Hands on his hips, he bent his knees twice before jumped. “Bend, bend, jump,” Miss Sooyoung gave an example and shouted to all pupils who quickly followed suit.
He wanted to cry when he heard the girls laughed at him because he failed to jump high. But then he felt another hand gripping his. He turned to the left and saw a girl with a wide smile. “Hi! I'm Sunny. It's okay, I can't jump high either. I'm too chubby,” she said with a giggle.
Miss Sooyoung smiled at both children. Another girl with a very short hair took Kyuhyun's right hand. “I'm Luna. It's my first day too,” she said.
During the break, when all the students sat on the floor, Sunny raised her hand. “Miss, shouldn't Kyuhyun also wear a tutu like us?”
Miss Sooyoung smiled. “No, Sunny. Kyuhyun is a boy and boys don't wear tutu.”
But Kyuhyun did not want to look different. Besides, sometimes he tried Ahra's dress at home and she's fine with it. “But Miss, I want to wear tutu too,” he protested.
His teacher sighed, confused on what to do but after looking at Kyuhyun's pout she finally gave up. Lucky she had an extra tutu at the cabinet in the corner of the dance room. She failed to hide her smile when she saw Kyuhyun looked really cute in a tutu, perhaps the cutest in the class. Sunny and Luna were really happy and did not let go of Kyuhyun's hands during their routine.
When his class finally ended, Kyuhyun felt so tired. It was almost dark but Ahra had yet to finish her violin class. He waited for her on the swing while stretching out his legs. He imagined the comfort of his bed and could not wait to lay down and hug Hyuk and Hae.
He did not hear the coming footsteps. He gasped when suddenly he was pushed from the swing and his face hit the ground. He quickly stood up and turned around but could not help to step backwards when he saw the same three boys smirking at him.
“Wh.. What... What do you want?” he tried to be brave.
“Give us your money!” the biggest boy shouted at him. “You've got no one to help you now, Fatso!”
Kyuhyun was trembling. He did not have any money with him. He knew the boys would beat him up and he would not be able to bear the pain. “I... I don't have money,” his voice was getting weaker.
He tried to look back at them but he knew that they knew he was scared to death. This time, there would be no Yunho who would help him. The teenager might still busy in the dance studio upstairs.
Kyuhyun closed his eyes when he felt that his collar was being grabbed. He could not fight back when one of them started to punch him. It was unbearably painful. But he would not cry. He tried to stand up again but his legs wobbled.
Before he could stand up straight, he heard a loud voice from behind those boys. “Enough playing? Why don't you pick someone your own size?”
Then he saw Siwon standing there with his backpack already laid on the ground. How could that boy fight against the three, he thought. But he was wrong. Siwon was very quick not only in defending himself but also in counterattacking his rivals. The three boys were easily defeated, again.
Kyuhyun wiped away the tears running on his cheeks. He did not even realized when his tears rolled down. “Thank you hyung,” he whispered, feeling very relieved. But then he sobbed uncontrollably. He had been scared. What if Siwon had not been there to help him? What would happen to him?
Then he felt Siwon's arms pulled him closer and hugged him. “It's alright. They're gone. Don't cry please...” The older boy rubbed his back to comfort him. It took a while before Kyuhyun's cry turned into sniffs.
Siwon pushed him away slightly and stared at him. He did not say a word. Kyuhyun was confused and continued to look back at Siwon. The older finally opened his mouth. “Stay away from trouble,” he said, still staring intently at the smaller boy.
Kyuhyun felt strange. Instead of intimidating, Siwon's gaze was comforting but why didn't he smile? The older boy would look handsome if he did. As Siwon turned around, Kyuhyun quickly grabbed the boy's wrist. “Do… Do you know what time Yunho hyung will finish his class?” he asked carefully, afraid if he would be mocked.
Siwon stayed silent. But there was a hint of disappointment on his face and Kyuhyun began to worry. He gulped. The older boy only replied: “He's not finished yet.” Then he dashed out of the yard, leaving Kyuhyun dumbfounded.
Kyuhyun sat back at the swing. Not long after, he heard Ahra called out his name. He turned around and about to snap on his sister for taking too long when his eyes landed on Yunho who was walking very close with another boy. Their hands were intertwined and they both laughed and smiled happily.
That boy defined beauty, perfection. He had very pale skin, blonde hair, dark brown eyes and a very beautiful smile. He looked beautiful and graceful, just like Miss Sooyoung. Kyuhyun gasped when he saw that boy kissed Yunho's cheek. And Yunho gave him a peck on his lips.
The beautiful boy ran away and Yunho chased after him while shouting his name. “Jaejoong... Wait for me!”
Kyuhyun felt his world shattered.
He did not protest when Ahra grabbed his hand and practically dragged him to his mother's car. He did not even realize that his mother already arrived. Kyuhyun sealed his lips on their way home. He still could not believe his eyes. Yunho already had someone special. And that someone was incomparable to him.
His mother was worried when Kyuhyun refused to have dinner. He just lied down on his bed, hugging Hyuk and Hae. “I'm so sad. Yunho hyung looked very happy with that beautiful hyung. Why am I like this, Hyukkie?” He wiped his tears away. Why did he feel his chest hurt just from remembering them? What was this feeling? He was only 6. He was supposed to be happy and enjoy life like what his friends were doing.
***
When Wednesday came, Kyuhyun already lost his enthusiasm to go to the dance class. After finishing his piano lesson, he tried to sneak into the playground but Miss Sooyoung beat him. “Where are you going Kyuhyun? Do you know that we have a joint session with the older children at the big dance studio?” she said while smiling sweetly.
He had no other option but to come into the studio. Sunny and Luna grinned when they saw him. He quickly changed into his costume and sat in the middle of the two girls. He just realized that the studio was a little bit crowded than usual and he felt his heart stop when he saw Yunho standing at the other corner of the room with his friends.
Then he saw Yunho smiled sweetly to the beautiful hyung, who sat on the nearby wooden bench. And he felt the pain again on his chest. But before he could do anything, he heard hard laughs from the children in the studio. He looked around only to realize that they were laughing at him. The laughters got louder. Some of the children pointed their fingers at him. Kyuhyun looked down and knew the reason. He was wearing that pink tutu. And for the first time in his life, he hated being Kyuhyun, being a chubby boy, being the reason behind those laughs.
He wanted to cry. He looked around again, as if searching for help. But even Yunho chuckled after seeing him.
Kyuhyun felt a squeeze on his hand. Sunny was standing next to him, her eyes were teary. She wanted to say something. But being mocked by dozens of children was unbearable for Kyuhyun. He yanked his hand from Sunny and ran away from the studio.
Miss Sooyoung was about to run after him but someone else beat her.
Kyuhyun ran down the stairs and rushed to the playground. He bit his lower lip, trying hard not to cry. But his chest hurt. He hit his chest repeatedly, hoping the pain would go away. But it stubbornly stayed. He fell on the ground. He cried so hard that his eyes felt sore. He kept crying, trying to let go of the pain. Until a pair of hand held his body from behind. And the owner of those hands whispered in his ear: “It's okay... It's okay....”
And Kyuhyun's cry got louder. Finally, there was someone who did not laugh at him, there was someone who embraced him, there was someone who comforted him.
That person turned him around and lifted his chin. And Kyuhyun's eyes met with the familiar onyx orbs. Siwon's. And the older boy smiled at him while wiping his tears away. “Don't cry... please...”
And Kyuhyun's cry turned into sobs and sniffs. “They laughed at me,” he whined.
Siwon smiled. “Ignore them.”
“They laughed at me because I'm chubby, because I'm not like them, because I'm different.”
“So what?” Siwon asked him. Kyuhyun stared back at the older boy in confussion.
“So, they have every reason to laugh at me.”
Siwon pulled Kyuhyun to sit on the bench. They looked at the sky in silence. “You know, it's okay to be different. You are different... But that what makes you beautiful.”
But the younger boy pouted. “I'm a boy. I'm not beautiful,” he protested.
Siwon smiled, showing off his deep dimples. “Boys can be beautiful, you know. You are, for example.”
“Don't tease me. I thought you were nice,” Kyuhyun complained. He was about to go away but Siwon strongly held his wrists.
“Stay here please....”
“Promise you won't tease me again.”
And the older boy raised his pinky and smiled. Kyuhyun also smiled and linked their pinkies. They sat next to each other without saying any words. Until Siwon broke the silence.
“I... I like you,” he said in a low tone, almost inaudible.
Kyuhyun turned his head to stare at the older boy. He was surprised to see this side of Siwon who looked so shy yet cute but still handsome.
“But I guess... I guess you don't like me. You like Yunho hyung more, right?” Kyuhyun felt guilty. Siwon looked very sad and disappointed.
“I... I did... I'm sorry.”
Siwon sighed. He stood up and forced a smile. “I've got to go,” he said while looking at the ground. He was about to move when Kyuhyun's tiny hands held him.
“I said I did. It was before... Before you saved me. I... I think I like you too,” Kyuhyun replied, with a wide smile. Then he giggled and kissed Siwon's cheek.
The older boy was startled and his hand unconsiously touched the spot that was just pecked by his crush. Then he stared at Kyuhyun. “Will you promise me not to cry again? It breaks my heart to see you cry,” Siwon said tenderly.
Kyuhyun nodded. And he gave Siwon a sweet smile. His smile got wider when he heard the older boy said: “Don't be afraid to be different. That what makes you special... my special one.”
Thank you Cita for the picture
Kyuhyun hated being different because that made him a prey to those mocking kids. But someone convinced him that being different meant he was special.
Pairing : WonKyu, a little bit of YunJae
Genre : RomCom
Word Count : 3,625 words
Kyuhyun puffed his chubby cheeks. Waiting was not his thing. But he needed to wait for Ahra to finish her violin class. Her older sister would have a performance in two months' time, so she had to have an extra practice session.
He decided to spend his time by sitting on the swing on the small playground in front of their school. He saw his classmates play soccer while others were running along the track. He had every reason to keep his distance from his male friends. They were always rude to him, mocking him and teasing him until he really pissed off. They laughed at him whenever he finished last in the running race, they called him names whenever his teacher asked him to come in front of the class. But he was too afraid to fight back.
“Ouch!” Kyuhyun screamed when something hard hit his head. It was painful and he was about to cry. But he remembered what his Dad told him. He was 6 years old, he would go to elementary school soon. He must not cry. He bit his lower lip to hold the pain. He turned around and saw three bigger boys coming to his direction.
“Hey, Fatso! You have money?” The biggest among them shouted at Kyuhyun, while grabbing his collar.
“What do you want?” Kyuhyun said weakly with shaky voice.
“Shut up Fatso. Just give us your money!” The bulky boy said again. His eyes pierced into his soul and Kyuhyun thought he would die soon. He closed his eyes, silently praying that God would spare his life so he could hug his Mom and Dad and Ahra and tell them that he loved them.
But as Kyuhyun prepared for the worse, he heard a commotion and he was suddenly lying on the ground. He slowly opened his eyes and saw the three boys already ran away. Someone grabbed his hand softly and lifted him up until he could stand on his feet again.
“Are you okay?” that person asked.
Kyuhyun raised his head and met with a very handsome face. His savior was much taller and older. Judging from his uniform, he must be a high school student. His black jet hair was untidy, his eyes were comforting and his smile was sweet. “Hey, are you okay?” that person asked him again.
Kyuhyun nodded eagerly, flashing his sweet smile. “I'm fine. Thank you, hyung,” he said politely while bowing. Oh, he would have a sweet dream tonight about his knight in the shining armor.
That person chuckled and ruffled Kyuhyun's hair. Somehow, he enjoyed having his hair ruffled by a stranger while he usually would snap at whoever untidied his hair. “My name is Yunho,” that person said. “And this is my cousin, Siwon,” he said while motioning another boy, slightly bigger than Kyuhyun who had only stared at him in silence, to move forward.
“What are you doing here alone?” Yunho asked.
“I'm waiting for my Mom to pick me up. My noona is still in her class,” Kyuhyun explained. He never darted his eyes off Yunho.
“Okay... Let's just wait until your Mom arrives. Just in case those boys come back. Do you know them?” Yunho asked him again.
Kyuhyun shook his head. “They called me fatso. I hate it,” he grumbled.
Yunho chuckled. “You're not. You're okay.”
And Kyuhyun smiled. He loved the older boy already. “Oh, and I'm Kyuhyun,” he introduced himself, inwardly cursing for being impolite.
When his mother finally arrived, Yunho introduced himself and explained to her on what happened earlier. Yunho and Siwon went away and Kyuhyun could not take his eyes from the two figures until they slowly disappeared inside the school's gym.
It was hard for Kyuhyun to sleep that night. He kept moving from left to right to left again. He still remembered Yunho's face and how the older boy smiled and chuckled.
“Hyuk, do you think I fall in love?” he asked his monkey plushie. Then he turned to his clown fish plushie. “What do you think Hae?”
He stared at his toys. “I'll bring you to my piano class next week. I hope I can meet him again and I promise I will introduce you to him. And you must tell me if he's a nice boy or not.”
That night he dreamt of dancing with Yunho in a ball room full of people, who admired their performance. It was the best dream he ever had in his nearly seven years of life.
***
A week passed and it's Wednesday again. Since morning, Kyuhyun was eager to go to his piano lesson. And that surprised his mother but she shrugged it off, thinking it was nice to see his son became enthusiastic on music.
Even his piano teacher, Miss Kwon Yuri, was surprised to see Kyuhyun could not stay still during the class. He kept staring at the window, as if waiting for someone to appear. But he could not tell her that he was waiting for someone, right? It would be impolite. So, he just blushed, feeling ashamed of himself. But he unconsiously sighed in relief when Miss Yuri told him that they finished their session.
Kyuhyun sat on the swing again, hoping Yunho would come sooner.
His face turned much brighter when he saw Yunho coming with his younger cousin.
“Hey,” Yunho greeted him.
Kyuhyun stood up and bowed. “Hello hyung,” he politely said.
“Are you okay? Did anyone bother you?” the taller boy asked him.
Kyuhyun shook his head. He gathered his courage and asked. “What are you doing here hyung? I mean... What class do you take here?”
Yunho smiled. “I'm taking my dance class while Siwon is taking taekwondo.”
Kyuhyun mouthed a long oooo and smiled widely, so wide until his cheeks hurt. Yunho bid him goodbye and walked inside the building while Kyuhyun kept staring at Yunho's back until he disappeared.
***
“Mom, I don't want to learn piano anymore. I want to take the dance class,” Kyuhyun told his mother later that night.
The lady raised her eyebrows while staring at her beloved son. “Why do you want to learn dancing all of a sudden?”
Kyuhyun was blushing. He would never tell his mother that he just wanted to be in the same room with Yunho. She would be furious. But he was persistent. And after a banter of argument, his mother finally gave up. Or he thought she did.
The next Wednesday his mother met with Miss Yuri and complained that Kyuhyun wanted to switch into dancing, instead of continuing his piano lesson. His teacher raised her eyebrows in curiousity and Kyuhyun knew she would probe him until he spilled out the bean.
“Because those boys called me fat,” he reasoned. He knew that was lame but apparently his teacher and mother bought that.
“Oh honey,” his mother hugged him and rubbed his back. “Why didn't you tell me so? Well, I think it's alright for you to take the dance class but after you finish your piano lesson. Deal?”
Kyuhyun thought for a while. It's better than a “no” answer. So he agreed and nodded eagerly.
Miss Yuri brought him to meet his dance teacher and Kyuhyun nearly hopped in his every step. She chuckled to see his cute act. But his cheerful face faltered when he saw the class. He saw all girls and they were wearing baby pink leotard, baby pink ankle socks, baby pink tutu and baby pink ballet slippers.
He widened his eyes in shock while all the girls were giggling when they saw a boy entering their class. A young lady, who looked very beautiful and very graceful, approached them and greeted Kyuhyun's mother.
“This is Miss Choi Sooyoung and she will be your teacher Kyuhyun,” Miss Yuri told him.
Kyuhyun shook his head. “But... But... But I don't want to be in this class,” he whispered, almost inaudible.
Miss Sooyoung kneeled down so she could be in the same eye level with the dejected boy. “But this is the only class available for a 6 year old child,” she said softly. “Why don't you give it a try first?”
Kyuhyun shook his head again. “I want to learn dancing with the older boys,” he insisted.
The dance teacher smiled. “Do you mean you want to join the jazz class?”
Kyuhyun only nodded although he had no idea what kind of dance class that Yunho took. Both teachers whispered to each other and Miss Yuri grabbed his hand and took him to another room in the second floor. They quietly entered the room and Kyuhyun widened his eyes when he saw Yunho standing in the middle of the class while other students sat down encircling him.
A much older man with ponytail was standing outside the circle and shouted several time to Yunho who tried to make a 720 spin.
Kyuhyun had his jaw literally dropped. Judging from what Yunho just did, he understood why Miss Yuri took him to the earlier class.
“I can't do this,” he whispered, while tightening his grip on his teacher's hand. He was scared.
His teacher kneeled down and asked him. “Do you still want to join the dance class?”
Kyuhyun looked around. He felt so sad. He would never be able to be with Yunho in the same dance class. But he was not a quitter. He stared at Miss Yuri and said: “Yes.” He was determined to learn something, to impress Yunho on his efforts.
***
Kyuhyun tried hard to ignore the giggles from his classmates. He did not care if he looked weird in his white sleeved leotard, black bike short, white ankle socks and white ballet slippers. He was determined that one day he would be able to dance well to make Yunho notice him.
Hands on his hips, he bent his knees twice before jumped. “Bend, bend, jump,” Miss Sooyoung gave an example and shouted to all pupils who quickly followed suit.
He wanted to cry when he heard the girls laughed at him because he failed to jump high. But then he felt another hand gripping his. He turned to the left and saw a girl with a wide smile. “Hi! I'm Sunny. It's okay, I can't jump high either. I'm too chubby,” she said with a giggle.
Miss Sooyoung smiled at both children. Another girl with a very short hair took Kyuhyun's right hand. “I'm Luna. It's my first day too,” she said.
During the break, when all the students sat on the floor, Sunny raised her hand. “Miss, shouldn't Kyuhyun also wear a tutu like us?”
Miss Sooyoung smiled. “No, Sunny. Kyuhyun is a boy and boys don't wear tutu.”
But Kyuhyun did not want to look different. Besides, sometimes he tried Ahra's dress at home and she's fine with it. “But Miss, I want to wear tutu too,” he protested.
His teacher sighed, confused on what to do but after looking at Kyuhyun's pout she finally gave up. Lucky she had an extra tutu at the cabinet in the corner of the dance room. She failed to hide her smile when she saw Kyuhyun looked really cute in a tutu, perhaps the cutest in the class. Sunny and Luna were really happy and did not let go of Kyuhyun's hands during their routine.
When his class finally ended, Kyuhyun felt so tired. It was almost dark but Ahra had yet to finish her violin class. He waited for her on the swing while stretching out his legs. He imagined the comfort of his bed and could not wait to lay down and hug Hyuk and Hae.
He did not hear the coming footsteps. He gasped when suddenly he was pushed from the swing and his face hit the ground. He quickly stood up and turned around but could not help to step backwards when he saw the same three boys smirking at him.
“Wh.. What... What do you want?” he tried to be brave.
“Give us your money!” the biggest boy shouted at him. “You've got no one to help you now, Fatso!”
Kyuhyun was trembling. He did not have any money with him. He knew the boys would beat him up and he would not be able to bear the pain. “I... I don't have money,” his voice was getting weaker.
He tried to look back at them but he knew that they knew he was scared to death. This time, there would be no Yunho who would help him. The teenager might still busy in the dance studio upstairs.
Kyuhyun closed his eyes when he felt that his collar was being grabbed. He could not fight back when one of them started to punch him. It was unbearably painful. But he would not cry. He tried to stand up again but his legs wobbled.
Before he could stand up straight, he heard a loud voice from behind those boys. “Enough playing? Why don't you pick someone your own size?”
Then he saw Siwon standing there with his backpack already laid on the ground. How could that boy fight against the three, he thought. But he was wrong. Siwon was very quick not only in defending himself but also in counterattacking his rivals. The three boys were easily defeated, again.
Kyuhyun wiped away the tears running on his cheeks. He did not even realized when his tears rolled down. “Thank you hyung,” he whispered, feeling very relieved. But then he sobbed uncontrollably. He had been scared. What if Siwon had not been there to help him? What would happen to him?
Then he felt Siwon's arms pulled him closer and hugged him. “It's alright. They're gone. Don't cry please...” The older boy rubbed his back to comfort him. It took a while before Kyuhyun's cry turned into sniffs.
Siwon pushed him away slightly and stared at him. He did not say a word. Kyuhyun was confused and continued to look back at Siwon. The older finally opened his mouth. “Stay away from trouble,” he said, still staring intently at the smaller boy.
Kyuhyun felt strange. Instead of intimidating, Siwon's gaze was comforting but why didn't he smile? The older boy would look handsome if he did. As Siwon turned around, Kyuhyun quickly grabbed the boy's wrist. “Do… Do you know what time Yunho hyung will finish his class?” he asked carefully, afraid if he would be mocked.
Siwon stayed silent. But there was a hint of disappointment on his face and Kyuhyun began to worry. He gulped. The older boy only replied: “He's not finished yet.” Then he dashed out of the yard, leaving Kyuhyun dumbfounded.
Kyuhyun sat back at the swing. Not long after, he heard Ahra called out his name. He turned around and about to snap on his sister for taking too long when his eyes landed on Yunho who was walking very close with another boy. Their hands were intertwined and they both laughed and smiled happily.
That boy defined beauty, perfection. He had very pale skin, blonde hair, dark brown eyes and a very beautiful smile. He looked beautiful and graceful, just like Miss Sooyoung. Kyuhyun gasped when he saw that boy kissed Yunho's cheek. And Yunho gave him a peck on his lips.
The beautiful boy ran away and Yunho chased after him while shouting his name. “Jaejoong... Wait for me!”
Kyuhyun felt his world shattered.
He did not protest when Ahra grabbed his hand and practically dragged him to his mother's car. He did not even realize that his mother already arrived. Kyuhyun sealed his lips on their way home. He still could not believe his eyes. Yunho already had someone special. And that someone was incomparable to him.
His mother was worried when Kyuhyun refused to have dinner. He just lied down on his bed, hugging Hyuk and Hae. “I'm so sad. Yunho hyung looked very happy with that beautiful hyung. Why am I like this, Hyukkie?” He wiped his tears away. Why did he feel his chest hurt just from remembering them? What was this feeling? He was only 6. He was supposed to be happy and enjoy life like what his friends were doing.
***
When Wednesday came, Kyuhyun already lost his enthusiasm to go to the dance class. After finishing his piano lesson, he tried to sneak into the playground but Miss Sooyoung beat him. “Where are you going Kyuhyun? Do you know that we have a joint session with the older children at the big dance studio?” she said while smiling sweetly.
He had no other option but to come into the studio. Sunny and Luna grinned when they saw him. He quickly changed into his costume and sat in the middle of the two girls. He just realized that the studio was a little bit crowded than usual and he felt his heart stop when he saw Yunho standing at the other corner of the room with his friends.
Then he saw Yunho smiled sweetly to the beautiful hyung, who sat on the nearby wooden bench. And he felt the pain again on his chest. But before he could do anything, he heard hard laughs from the children in the studio. He looked around only to realize that they were laughing at him. The laughters got louder. Some of the children pointed their fingers at him. Kyuhyun looked down and knew the reason. He was wearing that pink tutu. And for the first time in his life, he hated being Kyuhyun, being a chubby boy, being the reason behind those laughs.
He wanted to cry. He looked around again, as if searching for help. But even Yunho chuckled after seeing him.
Kyuhyun felt a squeeze on his hand. Sunny was standing next to him, her eyes were teary. She wanted to say something. But being mocked by dozens of children was unbearable for Kyuhyun. He yanked his hand from Sunny and ran away from the studio.
Miss Sooyoung was about to run after him but someone else beat her.
Kyuhyun ran down the stairs and rushed to the playground. He bit his lower lip, trying hard not to cry. But his chest hurt. He hit his chest repeatedly, hoping the pain would go away. But it stubbornly stayed. He fell on the ground. He cried so hard that his eyes felt sore. He kept crying, trying to let go of the pain. Until a pair of hand held his body from behind. And the owner of those hands whispered in his ear: “It's okay... It's okay....”
And Kyuhyun's cry got louder. Finally, there was someone who did not laugh at him, there was someone who embraced him, there was someone who comforted him.
That person turned him around and lifted his chin. And Kyuhyun's eyes met with the familiar onyx orbs. Siwon's. And the older boy smiled at him while wiping his tears away. “Don't cry... please...”
And Kyuhyun's cry turned into sobs and sniffs. “They laughed at me,” he whined.
Siwon smiled. “Ignore them.”
“They laughed at me because I'm chubby, because I'm not like them, because I'm different.”
“So what?” Siwon asked him. Kyuhyun stared back at the older boy in confussion.
“So, they have every reason to laugh at me.”
Siwon pulled Kyuhyun to sit on the bench. They looked at the sky in silence. “You know, it's okay to be different. You are different... But that what makes you beautiful.”
But the younger boy pouted. “I'm a boy. I'm not beautiful,” he protested.
Siwon smiled, showing off his deep dimples. “Boys can be beautiful, you know. You are, for example.”
“Don't tease me. I thought you were nice,” Kyuhyun complained. He was about to go away but Siwon strongly held his wrists.
“Stay here please....”
“Promise you won't tease me again.”
And the older boy raised his pinky and smiled. Kyuhyun also smiled and linked their pinkies. They sat next to each other without saying any words. Until Siwon broke the silence.
“I... I like you,” he said in a low tone, almost inaudible.
Kyuhyun turned his head to stare at the older boy. He was surprised to see this side of Siwon who looked so shy yet cute but still handsome.
“But I guess... I guess you don't like me. You like Yunho hyung more, right?” Kyuhyun felt guilty. Siwon looked very sad and disappointed.
“I... I did... I'm sorry.”
Siwon sighed. He stood up and forced a smile. “I've got to go,” he said while looking at the ground. He was about to move when Kyuhyun's tiny hands held him.
“I said I did. It was before... Before you saved me. I... I think I like you too,” Kyuhyun replied, with a wide smile. Then he giggled and kissed Siwon's cheek.
The older boy was startled and his hand unconsiously touched the spot that was just pecked by his crush. Then he stared at Kyuhyun. “Will you promise me not to cry again? It breaks my heart to see you cry,” Siwon said tenderly.
Kyuhyun nodded. And he gave Siwon a sweet smile. His smile got wider when he heard the older boy said: “Don't be afraid to be different. That what makes you special... my special one.”