Unbreakable
YAY! First (and maybe only) story of the summer! I am SO productive! -_-" I'm sorry ;-;
"Hyukie-ah!"
Eunhyuk turned towards Donghae's voice, only to find himself doused with a bucketful of sea water.
"YAH- Pffffffffft!"
He spat, trying to rid his mouth of the onslaught of salt, and rubbed his eyes. Soaked, he looked down and saw his meticulously built, almost finished sand castle completely ruined. He glared at Donghae, who stood 3 feet away, the bucket still in his hand.
"YOU!" Jumping up, Eunhyuk charged after him. With a bubbly laugh of excitement, Hae chucked the bucket aside and ran towards the ocean with Hyuk hot on his heels shouting, "You know how long I spent on that?!" Inevitably, Hyuk caught up and tackled Hae.
"I won't let you get away with this!"
With Hyuk on his back, Donghae lost his balance and both of them toppled into the water. A spectacular water fight ensued. From afar, Leeteuk, Kangin, and Ryeowook watched the antics as they tended to dinner preparations. It had been a hectic promotion period for "Sexy, Free, and Single," and after dominating music shows and charts, the idol group decided to to kick back and enjoy a rare day off. This was the first group vacation since Kangin's return and as an added bonus, they would later be joined by fellow label mate TVXQ.
"Those two never change," Kangin shook his head in mock disapproval. Leeteuk gave a tired smile. "I don't know how they have so much energy. They were so excited last night I couldn't even get them to sleep at 3am." He yawned. Kangin pat him on the back in sympathy.
"Yah, talk isn't going to get those veggies cut! There's still the fruit salad to prepare!" Wookie called to his hyungs in his clear, strong voice. Out of nowhere, Yesung appeared behind Wookie and rested his head on his shoulder, causing him to jump.
"Omo! Why do you appear like that?!"
"I am hungry," Yesung declared.
At that moment, Siwon, who was jogging across the beach, passed by, sweat glistening on his bare torso, accentuating every sculpted muscle.
"Hyung! HYUNG!" Ryeowook called.
On the second call, Siwon heard and removed his earbuds. "Mwo?" He jogged over.
"Take Yesung for a jog. He's distracting."
Laughing, Siwon removed Yesung from Ryeowook's side and tugged him along.
"Let's go." Helplessly dragged away, Yesung shot Wookie a smoldering look. "I'll be back for you." Wookie shooed him away. After removing his shirt, Yesung performed his wiggly, wriggly octopus dance as warm-up and shot off after Siwon.
The sun sat just above the horizon, a glowing ball of red-orange. The sky was golden, tinged with purple and pink, and a hint of deep night blue. The ocean breeze was picking up and the members' stomachs grumbled loudly after a whole day of physical activity.
"DINNER TIIIIIIME!" Wookie finally called.
"Yessss!" The other six members shouted, all congregating at the long picnic benches. Dinner consisted of kebabs, with separate plates of meticulously cut raw chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, scallions, squid, and many more. There was also a large bubbling pot of Shin Ramyun, small dishes of kimchi, a large mixing bowl of fruit salad, and an equally large bowl of freshly tossed salad. In the center of the table stood a long charcoal grill, electronically powered to rotate the skewers. Bottles of apple juice, orange juice, lemonade, soda, and soju stood on a separate table along with the cups, napkins, and utensils. Famished, the boys dug in immediately, helping themselves to all their favorites.
"YAH, you're eating without me?!" "Yeah, how could you start without him?!"
9 heads turned towards the newcomers.
"Changmin! Yunho!"
Kyuhyun jumped up and embraced his tall fellow maknae and Leader-ssi clapped the other leader on the back. "I'm sorry, the kids couldn't wait anymore hahaha."
The two joined the table and the feast officially began.
The sun had sunk and the sky was a full, deep blue with the first stars emerging.
"You know what's trending online right now?" Minnie asked between mouthfuls of salad.
"Eunhae?" Kyu smirked. "Aww yeah!" Hyuk and Hae exchanged high-fives. The others laughed.
"No, Kyu!" Minnie playfully smacked him on the shoulder. He adjusted his tone, as if announcing headlines: "BoA performs 'Only One' with Taemin, Yunho, Eunhyuk."
"Yahhhh" The boys clapped and cheered with satisfaction.
"I watched too!" Teukie exclaimed with excitement. Flashing a thumbs up at Yunho, he said, "Your chemistry was amazing!"
"It almost made me wish I was your girlfriend," Sungmin added. Yunho laughed, "Haha I tried my best. But there were flaws. That moment I was lying down and had to get off the ground into standing position, man that was tricky."
"Yeahhh, Eunhyukie nailed that move," Changmin teased. Kyu cut in, "Hyukjae-hyung's gazes! Those were just wow! And I thought you and BoA-ssi were awkward!"
"We are!" Hyuk objected.
"Then how do you explain the passionate longing I saw there, huh?" Kyu probed.
At that moment, Eunhyuk saw Hae's darkened expression. "What's up, Fishy?" "You know exactly what's up." He responded curtly. He promptly turned his head away. Hyukjae was at a loss. He looked to his members for help. Apparently, they had all grasped the situation.
"He's jealous," they silently mouthed behind Hae's back. " "Mwo?!" Hyuk mouthed back. "Yah, Fishy!" He tugged at Donghae's shirt. "Hmph" was his only response.
"It was a dance routine! Just a dance routine, I swear! The moves, the expressions, they're all part of the package! Come on, you know that!"
"They looked real enough to me!" Hae turned around and pouted.
"Cuz I'm that awesome," Hyuk beamed momentarily.
"You know what? It's over!"
Eunhyuk looked shocked. "Yah, how can you be jealous of BoA-ssi?!" "Don't talk to me!" Hae turned away, jerking his shirt out of Hyuk's hands. The onlookers looked at each other, biting their lips to stop from laughing. Now Eunhyuk looked extremely upset and turned back to his plate, staring in silence. Donghae looked at the others, who motioned to Hyuk. He snuck a glance over his shoulder. Seeing how depressed his partner looked, he couldn't pretend anymore. Turning around, he enveloped Eunhyuk in a giant fluffy bear hug. "Aww, Hyukie, I was just kidding!" The rest of the group finally burst into laughter at Hyuk's vulnerability. Relief swept over Eunhyuk. "Yah! Why do you do this to me all the time!" "Because it always works" Kangin replied simply. The former shook his head sadly. Light, carefree conversation and laughter resumed amongst the Suju and Dong Bang members under the clear night sky.
Amidst the merriment, Yunho quietly slipped away. 20 minutes passed and Teukie, the only one who took notice, decided to check up on him. Kangin watched him walk off and sighed. Teukie guessed Yunho probably needed some peace and quite, and knew exactly where to find him. Off in the distance, there lay a long boardwalk that extended far out to sea. Leader-ssi followed that boardwalk, his footsteps swallowed by the sound of crashing waves in the rising tide. He reached the gazebo at the very end, slightly unnerved by the darkness, feeling engulfed by nature's power.
There was Yunho, leaning against the wooden railings, gazing out into the vast darkness. Although he didn't budge, Leeteuk knew the other had noticed his appearance. He walked up beside Yunho and stood with him in silence. The two leaders stood side by side; the sea water droplets blew occasionally on their faces as the waves crashed against the rock platform, and the sound of the waves rhythmically rang in their ears. Overhead, a full pale moon glowed in loneliness against the cloudless black sky. For the longest time, the two didn't speak, each lost in his own thoughts.
"This spot makes you feel so…small…Here, away from the stage, the cameras, the spotlight, the roaring crowd, it's like we can just be…us," Yunho said, just loud enough for the other to hear. Teuk nodded in agreement. "Makes you feel bare, exposed."
Silence again.
"Junsoo-ah, all your members are so happy being with you, with each other. You encourage them to do their best. You're a good leader…"
Leeteuk turned to him, surprised. Yunho went on. "Watching you guys during dinner, the laughter, the happiness, the unity, it made my heart ache…for what used to be."
Teukie understood. "You miss them."
"Not a day goes by that I don't think about them. With just Changmin and I, sometimes it gets too quiet, and the emptiness becomes almost unbearable. We are just two, trying to maintain the presence of five."
Hearing Yunho say these words made Leeteuk's heart hurt. "I'm here for you. We all are, and Junsu, Jaejoong, and Yoochun are still our brothers."
Yunho looked at him with sad eyes. "Sometimes I wonder…After all that's happened, how could we possibly go back to the way we used to be. Would they still consider us their brothers? I keep thinking maybe if I had only done something different, we would still be five."
"Don't do that to yourself. What happened to the group was NOT your fault," Leeteuk told him firmly, staring straight into his eyes. "It was the company and their decision." Yunho dropped his gaze and turned towards the ocean. "You're doing a much better job than I did," he said quietly.
Leeteuk shook his head sadly and said one word, "Hankyung." Yunho looked up. "Hankyung wanted to leave because he felt he could not find happiness here. Nothing any of us did or said would have changed his mind. He's happy now, and that's what we all want for him, regardless of the decision he made."
The other smiled. "As long as they're happy." Teukie smiled too and patted him on the back.
"You know, they call us Rising Gods of the East, but at the end of the day, we're still just regular human beings with all our problems and imperfections…We give our all to live up to that name and it's still not enough. We can only do so much, yet some people just don't get that." Yunho paused. "I could give up the name, the fame, everything, if just so the five of us could go back to being the family we were. Right now, we're not complete…and we never will be if we stay like this."
Leeteuk nodded his understanding and said, "I believe everything happens for a reason. One day, we will see the good that comes out of all this."
Yunho chuckled. "Hopefully."
Back at the picnic tables, the remaining Suju members and Changmin were cleaning up. Kangin glanced around. Some members had gone back early. Two had gone to relax on the sandy shores…
Eunhyuk yawned and looked down. Donghae had drifted off to sleep on his lap. With the cool ocean breeze on his face, he closed his eyes too, very content. Then he heard Kangin's voice.
"Eunhyukie! Donghae! Time to go!"
Lazily, Hyukie opened his eyes again and groaned.
"Yah, Fishy. Fishyyyyyyyy~" He tousled Hae's hair and prodded his cheek. Hae stirred slightly, but pushed Hyuk's hand away.
"Mmmmrrmf," he grumbled.
"Come onnn, get up! You can sleep back at our room." When Hae still wouldn't budge, Hyuk finally resorted to standing up, forcing Fishy's head to plop on the sand.
"Oof." Hae reluctanty sat up, slowly wiping sand from his cheek. "Carry me~" He pouted sleepily.
"Yah, how old are you?" Hyuk glared at him in disbelief. Shaking his head with a sigh, he bent down in front of Hae and the other climbed onto his back.
"Okie~" He smiled happily. With another sigh and more headshaking, Eunhyuk stood up, adjusted Donghae, and started walking up the slope with careful steps. Fishy closed his eyes again in satisfaction, unable to see the grin on Eunhyuk's face.
Kangin was waiting for them at the top, where the pavement path began. He took one look at them and rolled his eyes. "Off to bed!" He ordered. "Yessir," Eunhyuk answered, and marched off, re-shifting Hae's weight. At least I won't have to go to the gym again today.
Kangin watched them go, then looked towards the direction of the boardwalk. Leeteuk still hadn't come back yet. Sighing, he turned and headed back to the dorm.
"C'mon, Yunho. It's getting late. Let's head back." Yunho stood up, stretched, and followed Teukie down the boardwalk. Together, they walked back towards the distant city lights.
It was 1:30am by the time Leeteuk got back to the dorm. As soon as he stepped into the living room, Kangin rushed out.
"Yah! Why're you so late! If you were any later, I would have to go out searching for you, you know!" Teuk laughed. "Thanks, hubby." Caught off-guard by this response, Kangin flushed a lovely shade of pink and desperately glanced around for something to settle his gaze on. Finally, he retreated back to the bedroom, muttering to himself.
"Aiish, pabo…so late…worried…" were the only words Leeteuk could catch.
After quickly washing up, Leader-ssi plopped into bed and exhaled deeply in satisfaction. "Ahhh so niceee~" He closed his eyes.
"Teukie-ah," Kangin looked beside him.
"Mm?"
"How's Yunho doing?"
"…Coping, I guess. But he's not truly happy…" Teuk opened his eyes and turned to face Kangin.
Kangin frowned. "How can we help them?" The other pondered for a while. "For now…just talk. And be there for him and Changmin. What else can we do? Things are just the way they are. We can't change what already happened." Kangin looked at Teukie.
"I wish I were here to help you these past three years…" He said softly, shifting closer. Leeteuk smiled. "You didn't exactly have a choice. It's bound to happen to all of us. We just have to carry on the best we can through the coming changes." Kangin looked concerned. "Do you think these inevitable changes will break us up?" Eyes closed, the Teuk reached over and placed his hand over Kangin's. "We'll be ok…all of us." His voice trailed off.
All became silent. A minute later, Kangin turned and saw the leader had fallen asleep. His handsome face was peaceful in the dim light of the overhead lamps.
"Ahh this pabo." Careful not to disturb his partner, he reached up and switched off the lights. The room fell into total darkness. Taking Leeteuk's hand, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.