Chapter 10

Ryeowook was very proud of the meal he'd managed to serve up at such short notice. Granted, he would always prefer to cook for himself and Kyuhyun whenever possible, but it just seemed like there was never much time for cooking these days. He knew Kyuhyun enjoyed eating his cooking as much as he enjoyed making it, so as a result they were both often disappointed.

But after Kyuhyun had given Ryeowook such an amazing gift; one that he so dearly wanted, and which he would never be able to repay, he decided it was the least he could do. Kyuhyun would never accept payment for the bag, and Ryeowook knew he must already own everything he could possibly want that could be bought thanks to his parents, so it was small, sentimental offerings that were his only method of repayment for the boy's kindness.

He'd waited to ask Kyuhyun until they'd gotten home, what he'd wanted to know for so long. It really hadn't occurred to him until he'd settled down enough to consider the question. But Kyuhyun had made it clear through his actions, that he both knew Ryeowook's question and didn't want to answer it yet.

He had supposed it could wait until he finished preparing dinner, which didn't take all that long, much to both boys' delight. They had both been dying to eat the moment they got back to the apartment, so even though it hadn't take long to prepare their meal, it had felt like an eternity to the two boys.

They had both been so starving that they ate in silence, preferring to stuff their faces with as much of Ryeowook's delicious albeit simple meal as possible. Ignoring all rules of etiquette, they noisily and hurriedly ate everything he'd made, clearing all of the plates of every scrap of food.

But now they were done. They were both fed and well rested, in their home, away from the rest of the world's prying eyes; the only place they could truly be themselves, and revel in the depths of their complicated friendship. There was no reason to put the conversation off any longer; it was now time.

Ryeowook shifted his eyes, to meet Kyuhyun's gaze, only to find the other staring at him intently; waiting. They both knew what Ryeowook wanted to know. It was a fair enough question, a simple one, that for some reason, Kyuhyun hadn't wanted to answer until now. But now he was ready, prepared to answer it; just waiting for the words to pass from Ryeowook's lips. "Why did you get me the bag, Kyuhyun?"

Kyuhyun's eyes closed at the question, as though the momentary loss of sight could drive it away; make it unspoken. In truth, Kyuhyun didn't really know why he was finding it so difficult to answer him. He knew himself that his reaction was kind of silly He knew the words he wanted to say, but when he tried to say them, he found he could no longer continue to observe the boy before him; it felt too intimate, too uncomfortable.

"For a few reasons I guess." he answered, evasively, as though foolishly hoping that such an enigmatic response would get him off the hook. He knew Ryeowook wasn't going to accept that, but it at least gave him a few more seconds to try and regain control over his tongue, so that he could tell his friend what he truly felt. That's what having a best friend was all about after all; having someone to whom you could speak your true thoughts and find acceptance, right?

Ryeowook gave him a pointed look, as if to say, "and they would be...?" knowing that Kyuhyun was just having trouble finding the right words, as he had out on the street. He felt kind of sorry for the boy, knowing his question was making him so nervous. But it was okay, Ryeowook didn't mind waiting. He was safe in the home they shared, and in this place, he had all the time in the world to wait for Kyuhyun to find the words he wanted to say to him. After all, he really wanted to know what had been in Kyuhyun's mind when he decided to get him the present.

"Well it was partly because as your lover I'm supposed to buy you things." he started uneasily, clearly beginning his answer with the thing that had meant the least to him. Ryeowook could understand that, building up to the ones he was more nervous about revealing. Clearly the ones he was holding back for the moment, were the ones that weighed more heavily in his mind; he must've been nervous because he was scared to know what Ryeowook would think of his thoughts.

Ryeowook rolled his eyes slightly, hearing in the other boy's tone how insincere the comment had been. Even if he thought it was true, it wasn't why he'd done it. "Of course, the act. Why else?"

Kyuhyun's gaze started moving around the room, as his nerves increased, the closer they got to the moment he'd have to reveal his true thoughts. "Because we're friends and friends buy things their friends want, on their behalf." he stated uncomfortably.

Ryeowook pondered that momentarily, before stating "Not necessarily." Which drew Kyuhyun's gaze back to him, surprised, not having expected the comment. "Why do you say that?" Ryeowook appeared startled, not really having realised he'd spoken aloud a moment earlier. "Huh? Oh well, Take the guys for example, they never buy presents for one another; their gift is spending time together, and doing things for each other. Things that they can give." Kyuhyun nodded, not having considered their friends' actions, when he'd made the comment a moment earlier.

"Or take, like, me making you dinner to say thank you. I did this because we're friends and I can't afford to repay you in any way other than through doing things for you, you know?" Ryeowook explained his logic, noticing the way Kyuhyun nodded in understanding when he finished.

"But something tells me neither of those reasons is the first thing that popped into your head when you came up with the idea." Ryeowook prompted kindly, reminding Kyuhyun of what he'd been about to reveal, and rekindling his earlier nerves.

"No you're right, they weren't." He stated calmly, no longer able to keep his gaze on his friend. He felt so embarrassed; he'd never had to say this word before in his life, and here he was about to say it to his best friend, for the first time.

"I actually, decided to get the bag for you, as an apology." he explained lamely, certain that he sounded like a complete idiot. Ryeowook was startled by the response from his friend. "Apology?" he queried, embarrassing Kyuhyun further. "Yes an apology. I wanted to say sorry, alright?" Kyuhyun snarled, his shame making him momentarily angry.

Ryeowook smiled slightly, even as he gently inquired, "What were you apologising for?" finding it incredibly cute Kyuhyun was getting so worked up over something like this. A quick check of the last few weeks told Ryeowook that he could recall nothing that happened that Kyuhyun could possibly need to apologise for.

"Because of that stupid assignment. I was so busy with it for the last few weeks, that I never had any time for anything. I was making it up to myself by giving myself some free time last night, but I still needed to make it up to you." he explained, less embarrassed by the discussion now that he'd started talking about it.

"And so you were apologising for it? Doing an assignment?" Ryeowook asked, not sure he was getting what Kyuhyun was apologising for. As far as he could see Kyuhyun had done nothing wrong.

"No, for neglecting you.' Kyuhyun stated, smiling at Ryeowook's cute, blank look until his words sunk in. He'd really missed having his friend around lately. He'd have to make sure he'd make time for the other boy from now on, no matter what he was doing or how important it was.

Ryeowook glowed in shy modesty, his gaze dropping to the floor, as though he were speaking with one in a much higher station than himself. "You didn't have to spend so much for something like that. I understood, it was fine. You really didn't have to get me a gift, let alone one that cost so much, not that I don't love it of course..." he mumbled, his embarrassment pulling more words form his lips than he'd intended on saying.

Kyuhyun was confused by the comment, but broke out into amused laughter, at Ryeowook's reply. Ryeowook automatically raised his head to glare at his friend for laughing at him, but didn't really get the joke.

"It's just. I was thinking earlier how I didn't spend enough on your present." he explained as his short bout of laughter ended, making Ryeowook smile in understanding. Sometimes he forgot that what Kyuhyun considered expensive, and what he considered expensive were two very different things most of the time. Money just didn't come up often enough for him to remember that all the time, he supposed.

Kyuhyun settled down, an evil grin making its way onto his features, and Ryeowook felt the distinct urge to shuffle as far away from the boy as he possibly could. "Now there's something that I feel is much more important that we need discuss."

"And what would that be?" Ryeowook enquired, trying to sound disinterested, but failing miserably; both boys had noticed how the hairs had begun to stand on end on Ryeowook's arm in his fear of whatever Kyuhyun was about to say.

Kyuhyun's grin only grew wider as he was invited to start his merciless teasing of his best friend, "Why the fact that you kissed me of course." he stated innocently. Immediately Ryeowook realised that Kyuhyun was going to tease him mercilessly for his excited actions earlier. His cheeks his cheeks started to flare hotly in shame, and he wished he could skip this moment.

"You don't say." he stated, evasively, hoping to find he could slide off of the lounge and make a run for his room, before the younger boy could notice his intentions. Kyuhyun failed to notice the look and continued on, teasingly, "I mean it's not like I can't understand why you'd want to; I am incredibly handsome. But I'm not sure I appreciate my first kiss being taken like that; a meaningless, tawdry affair from someone for whom the incident had no meaning. Surely you should always kiss someone with feeling behind it, particularly for their first kiss, don't you think?"

Ryeowook blanched considerably at the teasing words from his friend, even as he recognised how little Kyuhyun had meant what he said. His thoughts unintentionally were drawn to something he'd prefer he never had to think about, and though the circumstances were entirely different, he felt more guilt inside him, than he'd ever experienced before. What if Kyuhyun was serious, and it had been his first kiss? Didn't that make him just like him? Granted Ryeowook hadn't really gotten much experience in that field either, but at least it wasn't his first time, even if it was embarrassing.

He couldn't bare the tears of shame that began to well in his eyes at the thought of having done such a thing to Kyuhyun, and before the other boy knew what was happening, Ryeowook had slid off of his perch on the lounge, and bolted out of the room, down the hall and into his bedroom. It happened so quickly that Kyuhyun almost didn't see the boy leave. He hadn't known Ryeowook could move so quickly, when the perceived need arose.

Immediately Kyuhyun felt bad, clearly having upset Ryeowook unintentionally. Sure he'd been trying to tease his friend, but he hadn't expected him to react to it like that. In the silence of the room, he could hear Ryeowook lock the door, barricading himself inside, and Kyuhyun felt immensely guilty for his meaningless words.

In truth, he didn't think anything like what he said. A kiss between friends wasn't meaningless, and it never could be. The mere fact that they were friends gave the act significance. It could only have been meaningless, if they hadn't known one another, felt nothing for one another and were never going to see one another again. At least in Kyuhyun's opinion. So what if those feelings weren't love? Or, more accurately, weren't romantic love on both sides. Surely the love of a friend still had value and significance attached to it, as well?

Sitting alone on the lounge he waited, for several agonisingly slow moments, hoping that any moment now he'd see Ryeowook's head poking out of the room. He honestly couldn't have cared if it was with a sulky, "I'm-hurt" expression or a wide grin of "I got you!" so long as it meant he had his friend back. But as the minutes drew on, he realised that wasn't going to happen.

As the roiling sea inside his stomach only continued to increase it's churning, Kyuhyun could only hope that a few words said in jest, wouldn't end up being the last words he ever said to the person who had quickly come to be his world. Because really that was what this apartment was; their world; their home; together, and he didn't think he could deal with it were Ryeowook to leave him now. He only hoped he'd get to tell him that someday, because with the violent reaction Ryeowook had had to his words, he wasn't so sure this was a simple, petty argument like he'd hoped. One that could easily be resolved. This really could be the moment where a few baseless comments could force Ryeowook out of his life forever.

And it would be all his own fault.

It was well after 11pm before Ryeowook gathered the courage to leave his little sanctuary. He'd heard Kyuhyun padding around the apartment, footsteps slow and soft on the polished wooden floor. It'd been at least half an hour since he'd noticed the lights go off, from underneath the door, and he'd heard the soft click as Kyuhyun's door across from his own had closed. Clearly Kyuhyun had retired for the evening, despite having stayed up in the hopes of seeing Ryeowook.

He felt bad knowing that, he truly did. But he just had not had it in him to face the boy so soon after what had been said. He knew Kyuhyun well enough to know he didn't treasure things such as a first kiss. That to him it was, no doubt, no big deal. He could see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice, but still the words he said had circled round his brain, invoking images he'd long wished to forget.

He felt dirty, as though he had been transformed into some sort of monster for what he'd done to Kyuhyun, even though he knew and could see that Kyuhyun didn't see it the same way he did. He knew it was irrational and stupid, but they drew him in to that night, the fuzzy images and barely recalled sounds, and he'd felt like he couldn't breathe. His deepest, darkest secret, the one he'd tried so hard to keep from all his friends was playing out before his eyes, only this time his role was reversed; this time he was the monster and it was someone he cherished deeply whom he'd hurt, and it was all too much.

It was all there, the worst moment in his life, playing out before his very eyes. He couldn't allow Kyuhyun to see that. He couldn't allow Kyuhyun to know; he deserved better than that. He deserved to have his own unblemished memories, untainted by the dark depths of the human soul that Ryeowook had encountered that night. He didn't need to know how a night of stupidity could hurt someone for years afterwards.

He was so ashamed of it all he had fled, without really thinking about it. As though by running away everything would all just disappear. What he'd taken from Kyuhyun, what Kyuhyun had said, his memories, him, all of it.

The silence and familiar setting disengaged his all-consuming fear, but that only made it all worse. Now he was left, thinking and re-thinking over a part of his history he wished had never occurred. He was left, realising now, in the cold light of reason, what Kyuhyun must be thinking after what he'd done. How strangely he'd reacted to it all, and he only felt more stupid; more ashamed.

What if Kyuhyun had guessed? What if Kyuhyun wanted him to tell him everything? He wasn't ready for that, he was still too weak and insecure to deal with it. He needed time. His thoughts were scattered by his earlier fear, his eyes wild, too afraid to even consider resting. He couldn't look at Kyuhyun yet, he needed longer to prepare himself. To push those souvenirs of the past deep within himself, where they could be buried; forgotten. He needed the night to recover from it all, so that he could go back to Kyuhyun. So that he could laugh off any teasing jibes, and act as though he didn't care. He felt too raw, too open, too vulnerable to be seen by him right now, thoughts of all the things Kyuhyun might ask of him making his stomach churn more fiercely.

Under the cover of darkness, he made his way out of his room. Padding lightly past Kyuhyun's door in the hopes of not disrupting the boy's slumber. There were classes tomorrow, homework, assignments, family and friends. There were so many things in their lives right now, it wouldn't be fair to deny the boy his rest, particularly when he didn't feel up to seeing him anyway.

He made his way into the kitchen, getting himself a drink. The tears he'd shed as his memories had replayed themselves were long gone, but the dry, painful ache in his throat had been agonising as he waited for Kyuhyun to go to bed. Now he quickly swallowed an entire glass of water, only bringing the second glass to the coffee table before the lounge, with him, so that he could sit down.

He knew he was in no mood to sleep this evening, and he couldn't be bothered with his tutorial homework for the next week after what had happened, so he figured he could tend to personal matters for the moment. Maybe the week's messages on his email account would be enough to bore him out of his current, wakeful state?

The boys had long since taken to storing their laptops in the lounge room; for some reason delighting in spending hours, each in their own world while still being in the same room as one another. There was something comforting about the feeling, a timeless quality to it, which Ryeowook knew he would always look back on as one of his new, favourite activities.

He was slightly depressed to find nothing from his friends in his account, though he recalled a moment thereafter, that they'd never been the sort to email things to him; all invitations, questions and the like being sent via text. But somehow that came as little comfort to the lonesome boy.

He had never taken the time to realise just how different the house felt when Kyuhyun was with him and when he was not. Sure, he was only asleep in a room maybe 10 metres from himself, but the distance was far shorter than it felt. The house was cold and dark at this time of night, and though it could be quiet when he had Kyuhyun by his side, somehow it was a more comforting silence at those times.

Now he felt so alone, fighting to keep bitter memories only he knew to himself, as they fought to resurface, baring themselves for all to see. He felt as though he had no friend in the world, and even though he knew he could never bring himself to talk about all this right now, no matter whom he was with, just the presence of another soul in the room, in his mind would have been a welcome enough distraction.

In his desperation for human contact he sought out the email he had been dreading he'd receive all week. He knew more or less what was going to be contained therein, and though he had not checked his in-box, for fear of seeing it there, until this evening, it felt as though he'd known the minute it was sent; as though he'd had the message hanging over his head, demanding to be acknowledged.

The moment he'd read the message he realised how foolish it had been to even try finding solace in that message, for whatever sort of comfort he sought, he found nothing hidden within it. Only more hopelessness and despair.

He felt tears brimming, though what had caused them he could not be sure. It could have been his dejected hopelessness, that he was backed into a corner of his own making and there was no way out. It could have been his loneliness, that said he was the only one who cared about how he was doing or how he was feeling; that he had ceased to matter to everyone else he knew and cared for. It could have been self-pity for the horrid life he'd had to endure. Sadness from his pain filled memories. Or regret for having pushed Kyuhyun away earlier and shutting himself away from him, when he had no idea that what he'd been joking about was a deep seated fear of Ryeowook's drilled into him by those very same memories it had stimulated. Maybe the bitter tears were from an ache deep within his soul, slowly being chipped away at by all of these things, leaving a black void within him, of pain and despair.

"Don't cry." were the softly murmured words he'd heard, drawing him from the swirling vortex of negative thoughts and emotions he'd been drowning in for hours, nearly scaring him half to death. In the limited light of the laptop screen, he had been unable to make out Kyuhyun's features until he'd bent towards him, in his interest towards the boy. That is, if he'd even noticed him in the first place. As it was, those thoughts he'd been so consumed by had enabled him to black out the sight of Kyuhyun leaving his room, going in search of a drink, and, having spied his dear friend, whom he has been eagerly waiting to see, making his way over to him.

Kyuhyun saw the startled look in Ryeowook's eyes, which only served to pain him more. He had more or less given up hope of seeing the boy for the rest of this evening, and had decided to get a drink before bed. That's when he came out and saw the poor thing seated on the lounge, knees drawn up below his chin, as he worried his lip, eyes glazed over in thought.

He'd known it was clearly an indication that whatever Ryeowook was thinking about was unpleasant. He could see it in his eyes, and the way his lip twitched in disgust every now and again, probably in response to his thoughts. But whatever those thoughts were, Kyuhyun could tell they were beginning to overwhelm the poor boy. He looked so frail, so tiny curled in on himself like that, with tears threatening to spill at any moment, Kyuhyun had wanted to pull him into a hug immediately, and tell him everything would be alright. But given the abrupt ending to their earlier conversation, he no longer felt confident such an intimate action would be well received.

"What?" Ryeowook croaked, throat aching and sore from all of the boy's emotional excesses in the last few hours, to the point where Kyuhyun could barely make out the word. "I said don't cry." he repeated awkwardly, clearly unsure what he could do to comfort his friend, now that he was no longer sure of what was and was not acceptable behaviour between the two of them.

"I mean, you're obviously upset about something, but you don't have to keep it to yourself. You've got me, if you just tell me what's wrong, I promise to do all I can to help. Then you won't have to worry about it any more." Kyuhyun explained sympathetically. He felt so strange saying words like that to someone, even if he meant every word of what he said. They weren't exactly the kind of thing he was used to hearing, so he wasn't sure where they could of come from, or how he intended to follow through with them. Maybe it was an indication Ryeowook was having more of an influence on him than he'd realised, it certainly seemed like the sort of thing Ryeowook would have said to him were their roles reversed.

Ryeowook wasn't exactly sure what to say to a comment like that. The words were so sweet, and so clearly uttered by someone who cared deeply for him, and wanted to help ease his suffering, and yet it was something he could never reveal. He knew it was silly to think so, but he kind of hoped, in the back of his mind that if he didn't say anything about it, it might undo the past, and erase what happened. To speak of it was to acknowledge it; it would mean he had to accept it. But more so than that, it would mean having to reveal something very shameful to someone whose opinions and thoughts he thought very highly of. He didn't want Kyuhyun to change the way he saw him; he didn't want to be looked down on or disliked because of what happened.

Still, the look on Kyuhyun's face, a childish, hopeful urging to open up to him, was very convincing. Ryeowook found he wanted to tell everything to Kyuhyun; what had made him so sad. But he found, he couldn't even name it. Whatever thoughts had been swirling in his head for the last hours, had disappeared with Kyuhyun's arrival. He'd driven them from his brain, and he couldn't even recall what he'd been so scared about; so ashamed; so sad.

His eyes fell upon his open laptop, scanning a few of the words he saw on the email before him, and he realised that this had been one of those shameful things he'd been so consumed by mere moments earlier. "It was a lot of things, I guess. I'm not even sure exactly what it was I was so worked up about..." he trailed off, his voice, barely above a whisper, but hoarse from all the emotions he'd felt lately.

Kyuhyun scanned him momentarily, trying to judge whether or not Ryeowook was telling him the truth, but he could see genuine confusion on his friend's face, and the blank look he then seemed to throw at whatever was on his screen.

Steeling himself to take some initiative, he moved over to join his friend on the lounge. Ryeowook seemed to either not notice or not care about Kyuhyun's sudden weight, which he took to be a good sign. He was relieved to find that maybe he wasn't entirely at fault for Ryeowook's near tears, though he had no doubt been a part of it.

He too scanned the brief information in the email's details bar. "Is this a message from your parents?" he enquired, hoping he wasn't being too forthright for someone who had upset him so badly earlier, and yet desperate to know exactly what he was staring at. "My mother." Ryeowook answered, though it was clear his mind was on the words in the message before him. Kyuhyun nodded, though he knew Ryeowook wouldn't have paid it the slightest bit of attention, and his eyes fell upon the message also.

Deciding the fact that Ryeowook had made no move to hide the message, might be an indication that he had Ryeowook's permission to read it, he read the email.

Yah, Ryeowook-ah,

Long time no see! Your father and I have been so worried about you; you're always busy as of late. You never have any time to call us or let us know what you're doing. I know young boys are very studious, and that, because of us, you have to spend a lot of time working, but that's no reason to ignore your beloved parents!

Although you are clearly very busy, and don't have the time to tell your parents what you're doing, I have somehow managed to find the time to send you this quick message, though how, I have no idea!

Of course things have been bad since your father's fall the other month; his old, tired body just can't seem to recover. If it's not one healing complication it's another. He's been getting progressively worse these days. It takes him half an hour to climb the stairs, and his joints ache terribly. He's been unable to go to work again, and though your uncle has been very understanding, we're not sure how long he can keep this up.

Of course, I'm still young and am doing all I can, but your father needs me too. The car registration got paid, which is lovely, and we're ever so grateful for your help with that; it would be impossible to keep working if it had fallen through, and your dear mother just doesn't know what she'd have done had that happened!

But...Oh, I do so hate to trouble you dear, I know you're under so much financial strain as it is, but I've no where else to turn. Your uncle's business hasn't been doing well lately, and its all he can do, to keep your father on paid sick leave. Your father's illness, and all, there is nothing else I can see that'll help. It's just, well, it's the roof dear.

There was a streak of vandalism in our neighbourhood the other week; boys and girls running rampant round town. They broke windows, and doors, spray painted everything in sight. There were fights in the street and glass bottles and rocks thrown all over the place. We were frightened for our lives, it sounded like war had broken out on the streets. I was too terrified to leave the room, and your father, well, as you know he was unable to help.

We actually faired pretty well of those on our street. For some reason they left almost everything intact. But I heard all sorts of shouts and cries, and there were loud bangs on the roof. I thought they'd climbed up there and were going to tear a whole through it to get at us. I didn't know what to do! Eventually it all died down, and the next morning I went out to assess the damage.

Apparently they had broken several slates on our roof; there are deep cracks, and they've been left in fragments. It was so large, and some have even fallen off! I called your father's old friend to come look at it, but the news wasn't as good as we had hoped. Apparently the damage is worse than I first thought, as when they broke the slates, they managed to put lots of tiny holes and cracks in the roof itself!

He warned us that we need to get it fixed as soon as possible. With the size it is, he said it won't last more than a handful of days of rain before it caves in on us! We shouldn't even be living there now, but we've no where else to go, we can't afford to!

I wouldn't ask for your help if I didn't need it honey, but you've got to understand, we've been reduced to poverty. I can barely afford the bills as it is, and without your help we'd be out on the streets. We can't afford food or new clothes, and I have to work 7 days a week just to make ends meet on a good week. You're our only hope, please, you know when your father gets back on his feet and is well once more, all will be fine, please help your dear parents, like the good, faithful son you are.

I know 10 000 000 sounds like a lot of money now, and that it might take you a short while to come up with the money, but I also know you will help us out, please do hurry, I don't know what we'll do if we lose this house, and I think it'd be the end of your father.

From, mother and father.

Kyuhyun wasn't sure what to make of the message. He might have thought it was a joke, but Ryeowook had certainly been concerned about it, from the way it looked. He knew Ryeowook was the sort of person who liked to help others, and would undoubtedly be a loyal son, but their demands just seemed so preposterous. 10 000 000 won? Where could they expect their son to get so much money at such short notice?

Ryeowook noticed Kyuhyun was finished reading the message, for which he was grateful; it would mean he wouldn't have to try and find some sort of way to convince Kyuhyun his parents were in trouble, and the stories got so convoluted he would have been confused if he'd had to tell it himself.

"So what do you think?" he enquired, a little nervous that Kyuhyun would have no ideas as to what he could do to help his parents.

Kyuhyun crinkled his nose, not being very good at being tactful, and yet trying his best at it all the same. "I don't think you should give them any more money." he stated honestly, knowing Ryeowook would rather hear his honest opinion on the matter; it was the only way they were going to be able to come up with a solution.

Ryeowook looked at his friend pleadingly, "I can't just not give them the money, they're my parents!" to which Kyuhyun pointedly stated, "Sure you can, you don't have it." shrugging, as though it were obvious. Ryeowook rolled his eyes at his friend, "I'm aware of that, but they're still my parents, if they need the help, I should give it." he stated.

Kyuhyun thoughtfully re-read a few lines of the text, before fixing his gaze back on his friend. "I just, have my reservations about this. I'm destined for a businessman's life, and somehow handing over vast sums of money, without any promises regarding repayment, or an evaluation of the truth of the claim put forward, feels like a sucker's move." he explained, hoping his friend could think about this rationally, like Kyuhyun was.

"I never did either of those things any of the other times they've asked me for money." Ryeowook stated, contemplatively, considering Kyuhyun's point of view, in light of his past experience. Kyuhyun snorted, "Yeah, and look what happened? You haven't seen a cent of it returned to you, only demands for more."

The snarky comment had left Kyuhyun's lips before he'd really considered what he was saying. He cringed, telling himself he shouldn't be surprised if Ryeowook chose to slap him for saying such a thing. It was a horrid implication to make about someone else's parents, even if he did think he was right. Ryeowook, as a kind and loyal son, should hit him for saying such things; he would deserve it. He only hoped he could keep his yelps of pain to himself; it would be very unmanly to react to it, when he'd brought the punishment upon himself. But Ryeowook sighed, flopping back against the back cushions of the lounge, stretching tiredly.

"I suppose, but before worrying about that, shouldn't I be worrying about where I'm going to come up with that much money from?" Ryeowook stated tiredly, clearly feeling pretty worn out from all of the night's events, and his worrisome thoughts. Kyuhyun stared at him momentarily for that comment, blank look plastered on his face.

"I thought we'd already sorted that out." he stated plainly, attracting Ryeowook's confusion in response. "When? How?" he demanded, not recalling any statements that gave him any such indication in the slightest. Kyuhyun rolled his eyes, but his look was fond as he told him, "I'm going to pay for it on your behalf."

Ryeowook had been in the process of rearranging himself on the lounge so that he could have some of his drink, but someone ended up banging his toes into the leg of the coffee table at Kyuhyun's words. He grasped at his foot, in pain, and Kyuhyun, sympathetically handed him the drink he'd be reaching for in the first place.

Ryeowook gave him a grateful smile, before sipping at the drink, waiting for Kyuhyun to explain what he'd said to him. "Well it's the only logical solution isn't it? You aren't working, and no job would give you enough money on such short notice. I on the other hand, have so much more than that freely at my disposal it it isn't even funny. You're my friend and in need of the money, and, to top it all off, it'll make it look like we're an even more serious couple than we've indicated thus far, since we're close enough for me to have a relationship with your parents like this. We might even get bonus marks for my being so prepared to help out given my family's business background; everyone thinks the very wealthy are also very stingy when it comes to helping others, even if they are family."

"But, that is why, I'm making a stipulation as to the terms of this agreement. I'll give them the money free of charge, on the condition they don't bother you with money problems such as this ever again, and, that we go to their house and inspect the damage ourselves, to make sure they're not faking it to get money out of you." Kyuhyun stated sagely.

"But it's too much, Kyuhyun...You can't give my parents this much money, just like that." Ryeowook implored, not liking the thought of his parents taking his friend's money, as well as having taken his for so long. "No it isn't. That amount is nothing to me, and besides, I want to; if it means my best friend won't have to stay up all night worrying about how they're going to fix things for their parents, then it's more than worth it." he stated, smiling fondly and tiredly at the equally tired boy before him.

"You know your mother is really impersonal in her messages." Kyuhyun stated blandly, eyes focusing in on the message again. "I know, right? Just personal enough to get you to agree to help her." Ryeowook stated, a little irritated by the idea of having a mother that manipulative. "Only if you're her son." Kyuhyun countered, to which Ryeowook glared, but then gave up, finding the reward not to be worth the effort it cost him.

He yawned once, and that was all the motivation Kyuhyun needed, to pick himself up off the lounge, and offer his hand to his friend, pulling him up with him. "Come on, you're sleeping with me tonight." he stated, but when they both yawned at that moment, any possible misunderstanding that it was a sexual comment was ruined.

Now at least, they'd both be able to sleep well, knowing that things had been mended; Ryeowook no longer had to worry about the matter of what to do with his parents, and Kyuhyun no longer had to worry about Ryeowook, though he would have to find time to sort through his suspicions about that email sometime in the morning. And his response to their earlier conversation, which, had long since been forgotten by the two boys in their sleepy state.

There was something about the tone Ryeowook's mother had used that to Kyuhyun was just too cold, for anyone who wasn't like his own mother. Her message was far too brief and intent on keeping you at a distance. It felt like a message written by a very manipulative person, and Kyuhyun could only hope that these suspicions of his would be proved wrong. Or else his Ryeowook, had been taken advantage of for longer than he cared to think of, and made to work as an escort to earn enough to help them, as well as to support himself, and it would all have been for nought.