Taeyang wasn't a very vain person.

Sure, he was pretty good looking. Very good looking, actually. And he made sure to take good care of his body; for the fans' sake, of course. But when it came to his group, he was content to know that Seunghyun and Jiyong were the important visuals.

Taeyang was certainly not vain.

Because, for Taeyang, being the best damn vocal around was so much more important. He could settle for second place with his looks but when it came to singing, he knew he had everyone beat.

Some could say he was obsessed with his image as a singer, but he knew better. Late nights perusing his computer, frantically checking any and every poll he could find, scoffing at those that clearly only put him lower on their charts because they weren't as prestigous; they were not signs of an obsession. No, he just knew he was the best and refused to allow others to think otherwise.

Of course, there were always the occasional polls or charts that ranked him lower than other idols. He knew they were wrong, knew they only positioned those other idols higher because of the companies sponsoring them or their ongoing promotions. He tolerated it well, especially seeing as the only idols who truly presented any real threat to his position as the best korean idol singer were all female. In the very least, while a lot of charts put the male and female idols in one ranking, Taeyang knew that many fans and critics considered them separately. Taeyeon may have some amazing vocal talents but she could never remove him from the position afforded him.

Taeyang wasn't stupid. He knew there were other great vocals scattered among the hundreds of idol groups and solo acts that littered the Korean pop scene and some of their voices may even rival his own, as much as he was loathe to admit. However, he didn't much care for technicality. It was the popular attention he sought, the validation in charts and awards that put him above all the others. Because as amazing a singer Lee Onew of SHINee was, his company constantly promoting Kim Jonghyun above him as a vocalist would always keep him at a lower position. There were a lot of talented idols like Onew, who could sing beautifully with passion and soul but Taeyang found he didn't really care. When it came down to it, it was all about the validation of his status, the public declaration that Taeyang was number one.

So, of course, when Taeyang heard the prestigious American music association, Billboard, had released a ranking for the best korean idol vocalists, he couldn't wait to feel the satisfaction of being ranked first for the males. The spot would be a crowning acheivement, the push that he needed to prove once and for all that he was truly the best vocalist in South Korea. The chart would be huge for posterity and bragging rights. Billboard was somewhat respected in the music industry in America as far as he knew and it was something every international fan of every korean group would be looking at with excitement.

He hadn't even considered the possibility of losing.

It had been no surprise to once again see Taeyeon topping the chart. Neither was it a blow to Taeyang's confidence when TVXQ was placed second considering it was emphasized so heavily that their performances from before they split were what gave them that ranking. Taeyang didn't prefer to dwell in the past. It was almost tradition, anyway, to put TVXQ at the top of a singing poll. The inclusion of such popular names like Baekhyun of EXO did little to deter him either, knowing it was the popularity of the group contributing to that idol's placement.

No, it wasn't until he read the name of the idol in fourth place that he snapped in anger.

Kim Ryeowook.

He could feel his wrath building, his vision tinting a crimson red as he stared at the neat, italicized name above his own. Because, unlike the others, he couldn't explain this one away. Super Junior was popular, of course. They were one of the main Hallyu idols, there was no way they wouldn't be considered. But if Taeyang was expecting a member of Super Junior to appear on the list, he wasn't expecting this one. Like Onew from SHINee, Kim Ryeowook of Super Junior was a victim of his own company. He was a vocalist, sure, but whenever a vocalist from the group was recognized, it was generally Cho Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun had been on a few lists with Taeyang and he knew the man was talented but he was never a problem because he never actually out-ranked him. And really, there was no reason for a Super Junior member to be so high on the list. They had spats of popularity but because their company largely abandoned them to work on time-consuming projects like EXO, their overall popularity was just not the same.

And out of all the Super Junior members... Ryeowook? He'd known Ryeowook was good but he'd never been worried because Ryeowook wasn't as popular as the other members of the group with their fans. Charts were largely popularity-oriented, one reason Taeyang found them so validating of his talent.

He seethed as he re-read the name over and over, not even bothering to read the man's description. Dark thoughts clouded his mind as he ground his teeth, knowing there was only one reason Kim Ryeowook would beat him on this list.

The judges hadn't ranked him on popularity, or for any company politics. No, Ryeowook was ranked the fourth best Korean idol singer because Billboard truly believed his talent ranked him there.

And Taeyang was livid.

He shook as he stared at the name, not even glancing away as he  plucked his phone off the desk beside him with a growl.

How good could he possibly be if he never sang again?

------------

Not really sure how to feel about it
Something in the way you move
Makes me feel like I can't live without you
It takes me all the way
I want you to stay, stay
I want you to stay

Drawling out the last note as he leaned close to his microphone, Ryeowook smiled to himself. He giggled self-consciously as the music ended and his guest mumbled praises to himself. He'd been doing Sukira for how long now? And he still felt awkward after finishing a song, something about the silence despite knowing hundreds just heard you.

"Yah, Ryeowook hyung is really amazing," Kim Jonghyun, his guest, crooed into his own mic, staring at Ryeowook with wide eyes. The older boy laughed again, shifting in his chair as he tried to sneak a peak at his manager. Thumbs up - it went well then.

"Ah, Jongie-ah, we all know you could do just as good," Ryeowook teased, settling once more. He didn't want to shift around too much and garner unwanted attention but he was so antsy.

While he absolutely loved DJing Sukira every day, the recent promotions had really taken their toll on him and he couldn't wait for his break tomorrow. He had initially wanted to spend the time with Kyuhyun who also got the day off, but the younger boy's parents had called him up and demanded personal family time. Ryeowook had worked hard to convince Kyuhyun that he really didn't need to intrude on his parents time with their child, actually, but he was glad he did. He loved hanging out with Kyuhyun but somehow he'd managed to co-erce Hyungsik and Hakyeon into spending the night and the next day with him at the others' dorm so he was definitely excited.

With an extra aegyo-infused voice, Ryeowook cheerfully closed out the show, Jonghyun's overly-enthusiastic ramblings accompanying the last few words he got in before the next song was played. He quickly grabbed his phone and wallet before any more words could be exchanged. He liked seeing Jonghyun but honestly the kid could hold a conversation with himself for hours on end and it was even worse when the person he was talking to was someone he hadn't seen in a while.

I'll just make sure to cheer a little harder at SHINee's next concert, Ryeowook reasoned as he slipped his belongings into his pocket and quickly ducked behind the swarming employees and team, using his shorter stature to get out undetected.

"Ryeowook-sshi!!"

Or maybe not so undetected. Ryeowook winced as he turned, hoping the female voice that had yelled for him was just a passing fan or maybe a cordi-noona who would let him go quickly.

But instead, Ryeowook almost did a double-take as Boa walked quickly to seemingly catch up with him, her heels clacking against the floor loudly in the near-empty hall.

"Boa noona, what are you doing here?" he asked, quickly forgetting about his plans upon seeing the sunbae he looked up to quite a bit. "Are you filming something in the studios?"

She flashed a bright grin and shook her head, finally making up the distance that had been between them.

"No, we did a quick rehearsal in one of the locations. Where are you going so quickly, Ryeowook-sshi?"

Ryeowook's face burned as he realized his respected sunbae had probably seen him trying to sneak out earlier but he frowned as he remembered his plans. If he didn't hurry soon, he just knew his manager would rope him into something else.

"I was headed over to Hyungsik-ah's dorm," Ryeowook answered truthfully, not really seeing a need to lie. It's not like he snuck out of his duties, he only snuck out afterward.

"I'm headed there too!" Boa answered excitedly, quickly looping her arm around Ryeowook's neck. The younger boy frowned. He'd never seen his sunbae so hyperactive, it was a little weird. "Let me give you a ride."

"Oh no, noona, I-" Ryeowook immediately began protesting, not wanting to be a bother, but the older woman cut him off quickly, pulling back to put her hands on her hips and deliver him a righteous glare.

"Kim Ryeowook, you will accept my kind offer of a ride or I'll go grab Jonghyun out to make sure he's given you a proper goodbye," she insisted, her smile bright despite the way Ryeowook's face immediately paled at her threat.

"A ride sounds great, noona."

----------------

The ride was incredibly awkward.

Given how hyper and excitable Boa had been at the station, he hadn't thought things would be so silent as they rode towards their destination. As soon as Boa had slid in behind her wheel her demeanor had completely shifted. Her hands had suddenly tightened around the wheel and as Ryeowook studied her throughout the ride, it even seemed like her jaw was clenched shut. The younger man was a little too scared of his companion's weird mood shift to strike up any conversation either so the car ride was just incredibly awkward, Ryeowook mainly trying to keep his gaze trained out the window.

However, by the time they reached the dorm building, Ryeowook was feeling really bothered by the whole thing. His noona was crazy, sure, but he'd never had quite an awful encounter like this one was shaping up to be and he didn't like it.

"Yah, noona, are you feeling okay?" Ryeowook finally broke the silence as they pulled into the dark parking garage. Boa visibly jumped at his question which made Ryeowook frown in concern.

"Why do you ask, Ryeowook-ah?" she asked with a clearly nervous chuckle, killing the headlights of the car as she did so.

"You're really quiet... is something wrong?" Ryeowook asked cautiously. Though there wasn't much lighting in the garage he was carefully studying his sunbae's face, feeling a little worried about the nervous reactions she was giving to his questions. Had he done something to make her upset?

"I'm fine." Boa climbed out of the car quickly after speaking and Ryeowook rushed to follow, not wanting to appear rude by staying seated too long. He noticed the way Boa refused to meet his eyes and frowned, shutting his door and making his way to stand in front of his distracted sunbae before she could further avoid him.

"Noona, what's going on? I'm really worried, you know. You look like you're very upset. Can I help you with whatever it is?" Ryeowook asked, just a hint of desperation in his voice. He really didn't like it when people he felt close to reacted in a way he wasn't familiar with and now he really just wanted the hyper Boa from earlier to come out.

"You don't even know what's wrong and you're asking to help?" Boa asked with a surprised snort of amusement. She glanced down briefly while studying Ryeowook's face with intense concentration that made the younger man squirm slightly, conflicting thoughts clearly plaguing her brain at the moment. Ryeowook could almost map out whatever fight she was having with herself just by the way her face was twitching occassionally as she stared at him.

"If I can help, I will gladly," he encouraged, hoping to break Boa of the uncomfortable gaze. If anything, his words seemed to actually increase whatever conflict was going on in his noona's head which only served to make Ryeowook more concerned. Should he go find someone to help Boa? Was something serious going on with her? She did say she was practicing earlier, what if  she wore herself out and-

"Damnit, I can't do it!" The sudden outburst shaved a few years off of Ryeowook's life as he jumped in shock, clutching his hand to his chest. Before he could ask what the hell was going on (and if he should contact some sort of medical professional), a now-frantic looking Boa looked left and right before grabbing the arm he held to his chest and yanking him at a sudden break-neck pace.

"N-Noona?" Ryeowook gasped in question, struggling to keep up and simultaneously impressed by how fast Boa was running in her heels. If it wasn't for the near-bruising grip she held on his arm he would have fallen behind as he was already winded. Boa didn't seemed fazed, by the speed they were running or by Ryeowook's question, but instead ran like her life depended on it, her head shooting back and forth occassionally. Ryeowook tried to look around too to figure out what exactly she was looking for but the one time he did he very nearly faceplanted as he stumbled over his own feet so he certainly wasn't doing that again.

Boa finally stopped as she reached the elevator only to push the button and then stomp her foot impatiently. Ryeowook was infinitely grateful that the doors opened quickly because in the few seconds he'd used to try and catch his breath, Boa had definitely been eyeing the entrance to the stairs. Hell. No.

"Noona, what is going on?" Ryeowook demanded as he was shoved into the open elevator. Instead of answering, Boa began pressing the 'close door' button rapidly, only stopping and finally relaxing when the doors slid shut. Ryeowook noted the way her shoulders slumped and she took a moment to compose herself before turning to him. He felt apprehensive as he leant against the opposite elevator wall, not sure what to do about his noona's incredibly terrifying behavior. Certainly not even a person with a bipolar disorder could completley change their demeanor and attitude as quickly and as much as Boa had in the last thirty minutes.

"I couldn't do it," she finally spoke up, voice once again scaring Ryeowook despite the fact that she had spoken softer this time around.

"What-"

"I was supposed to kill you," she spoke casually, sticking her hands in the deep pockets of her hoodie and leaning nonchalantly against the wall like she hadn't just admitted to wanting to murder him.

"You what?!"

"Would have been easy too. You're so trusting, Wook-ah."

"I'm sorry?" Ryeowook shrieked from his new position huddled on the floor of the furtherst corner from his crazy noona. Boa shrugged non-committedly, her gaze trained on the floor.

"I didn't really want to!" she declared, finally lifting her head to to stare at Ryeowook with a fervent gaze. "And, aigoo, you're just too sweet and I couldn't do it!"

"Why were you trying to kill me in the first place?!" Ryeowook shrieked in the same piercing tone. Yes, his voice was entering ultrasonic pitch but damn he had a right at the moment.

Before Boa could answer the question, the elevator dinged and the doors slid open once again since Boa hadn't selected a floor. The parking garage still seemed devoid of life but Boa still glanced around nervously, making Ryeowook stiffen. He really didn't want to encounter whatever was making his insane noona worried. Before Ryeowook could blink, Boa rushed across the length of the elevator and grabbed his shoulders to pull him up to meet her eye-level. Ryeowook almost wanted to scream (she just admitted to wanting to kill me, why is she touching me?) but the look in Boa's eyes kept him at bay. She looked serious and caring, two emotions he knew weren't the mark of insanity.

"Wook-ah, Super Junior is doing promotions now, right? Who is staying at your dorms with you?" she asked frantically, hands still at his shoulders and eyes boring into him.

"Teukkie hyung, Donghae, Hyukkie hyung, Heechul, Yesung, and Kangin. Siwon hyung is filming in another city and Kyu went to visit his parents," Ryeowook hesitantly answered, still confused about what was going on but figuring it would just be easier to answer her questions. "Ah, and Zhou Mi hyung is working on promotions at SM so he's staying at the dorms as well. But noona that doesn't really answer my question. Why were you trying to kill me?"

"It's Taeyang," Boa explained though the statement just made Ryeowook more confused. "He... has dirt on me and he told me to kill you or else he would spill it."

"That makes no sense!" Ryeowook shrieked, eyes wide. "Why would Taeyang-sshi want me dead? And why would you say yes just to save yourself from gossip," Ryeowook continued, eyes narrowed suspiciously now.

"He really wants you dead, Ryeowook-ah! He was ranting about your voice, I don't know, but he was very serious about wanting me to kill you!" Boa exclaimed, frantically trying to convince Ryeowook of her words. "And..." here she glanced down, a light blush dusting her cheeks, "the rumor could totally destroy my career and the career of someone I care about."

"A relationship rumor? Come on, noona, relationship rumors are bad but are they really worth-"

"It was with another woman!" Boa rushed out, head bowed and face a bright red color. Ryeowook's eyes widened in shock but he stayed silent as he studied his noona. "She... I can't say who it is but Taeyang caught us and he's holding it over my head! And she's an idol too, it's not just my career on the line here."

"I'm... I'm still upset you want to kill me for that," Ryeowook mumbled, crossing his arms acrossed his chest but a lot less afraid of Boa. She was still willing to kill someone for such a reason which was disconcerning but at least it wasn't a horribly pathetic reason.

"I don't want to kill you and I'm not going to, okay?!" Boa insisted. "But I can't promise Taeyang won't still come after you so you have to go to the dorm and stay with your seven hyungs where it's safer."

"They're not going to believe this," Ryeowook pointed out, pout still on his lips. "I mean, I still sorta don't believe it."

"I'll call Leeteuk and make him believe, trust me," Boa spoke determinedly, reaching out to grab Ryeowook's crossed arms. "Just go to the dorm where your seven hyungs can keep you safe." She glanced out the elevator doors into the parking garage and analyzed the surroundings before pushing Ryeowook out of the small space. Reaching into the depths of her purse, she yanked out a set of keys and threw them at Ryeowook, the younger man barely catching them before they hit his face.

"Take my car. I'll go to the radio studio and take yours to try and deter Taeyang." With that instruction she pushed Ryeowook once again, urging him towards the awaiting car. He was peeved about missing out on his plans but Boa's story was just convincing enough that he was willing to listen to her advice. He was feeling paranoid and scared, looking around to make sure some masked killer wouldn't leap out of the shadows to slice his throat. Turning back to Boa one last time, he frowned and tilted his head in confusion.

"Noona, how exactly are you going to convince Leeteuk of this ridiculous situation?"

Boa smirked and looked down to the cell phone she now held in her grasp long enough to find Leeteuk's name before looking back up to Ryeowook with the phone pressed to her ear, dial tone softly playing in the background.

"Oh don't worry, I have my ways."

---------------------

Boa clearly hadn't been lying when she said that. Ryeowook had no idea what was said between the two but by the time he reached the dorm he'd been snatched into Leeteuk's embrace and the older man had refused to let him go, declaring he'd protect his 'precious dongsaeng' with his own body if he needed to. Leeteuk seemed even more convinced of the danger of the situation than Ryeowook himself was and the younger man still to this day wondered exactly what Boa had told Leeteuk during that phone call. By the time the other members who were in the dorm had found Leeteuk practically glomping a completely smothered Ryeowook they decided Leeteuk holding Ryeowook all the time wouldn't protect him properly and came up with a better system. Ryeowook was a bit confused at how they all seemed to believe the situation as well but blamed it on Donghae's overactive imagination making the tale even more believable for the others.

Ryeowook began to get more and more scared of the threat of death from Taeyang as the night wore on but his hyungs were there to protect him and he had to believe that'd be enough. They'd set up a system -that Ryeowook had immediately protested because he didn't want to be a bother but his words were overruled by his hyungs- of having one person with Ryeowook at all times. Ryeowook was confined to the dorm and each member spent the few hours between schedules alternating 'shifts'. Which is how Ryeowook found himself the next morning sitting in the living room and physically cringing at the sounds coming from the kitchen.

He was happy when Yesung had volunteered to stay with him for two hours that morning, especially considering Yesung had been quite busy after his release from the military and Ryeowook really missed one of his closest friends in the group. However, when Yesung abandoned their cuddling on the couch about half way through the alloted time slot and made his way to the kitchen, Ryeowook had shuddered in horror. He could only imagine what Yesung was doing in the kitchen but he also didn't want to get up and check, too afraid to find whatever mess he'd inevitably have to clean up.

So there he was, curled up in a ball on the couch, desperately trying to watch the drama on the screen in front of him but for the first time in his life completely distracted from it as his mind drifted to thoughts of whatever Yesung was doing in the kitchen. He was sure he'd heard the oven at one point but there'd been no fire alarms going off yet so he figured they were in the clear.

Of all the things Ryeowook was expecting Yesung to be doing in the kitchen, he'd least expected his hyung to strut out of the kitchen in a frilled apron, some sort of cake perched picariously in his hands. Yesung made his way to the coffee table in front of Ryeowook and the younger man's jaw dropped at seeing the object Yesung was carrying.

"Cheesecake?"

"Yeah, look what I made!" Yesung chuckled, stepping back and showing off his handiwork. Ryeowook gaped at the food, wary to get too close to it. He //loved// cheesecake and this one looked gorgeous on the outside but he knew he couldn't trust whatever Yesung had made. It's likely it wasn't cheese at all but some sort of pepper, bean paste cake that Yesung had accidentally invented thinking he was making cheesecake.

"Why did you make cheesecake?" Ryeowook asked, hesitantly standing up so he could get closer to the cake to examine it. It actually did look nice and, surprisingly, didn't try to eat his hand when he poked it lightly with his finger.

A fork suddenly entered his vision and Ryeowook glanced up the arm holding it to Yesung's hopeful face, blinded by a smile.

"Try it, Wook-sshii."

Ryeowook's face morphed into one of abject horror as he backed away and shook his head, flailing his hands in the air.

"Oh no no no, that's fine Yesung-hyung, no no," he rambled as Yesung held the fork out further, seemingly determined to get Ryeowook to eat the cheesecake. 

"Please try it, Wookie-ah," Yesung begged and Ryeowook swore he saw Yesung batting his eyelashes as if to try and persuade him further. With a deep swallow he looked down at the cheesecake and back up to his hyung warily. Cheesecake //was// one of his favorite foods and this one didn't look too awful but, well, there was a reason he typically cooked on the rare occasion the Super Junior kitchen was used. And while Yesung wasn't as horrible a cook as Donghae or Kyuhyun, he was still pretty bad and injesting a dairy product of someone who doesn't know how to cook wasn't something he was looking forward to.

"Please Wook-ah? I made it specially for you."

Damn. Now there was nothing Ryeowook could do. Fate was decided for him, only further highlighted when Yesung stuck his bottom lip out in a quivering pout. Putting on his very bravest smile he nodded and grabbed the spoon extended to him. Yesung cheered happily and turned to the cheesecake to cut a slice out. He slid it easily onto the plate he had prepared and Ryeowook was at least a little relieved to see the inside of the cheesecake looked perfectly fine. Maybe his hyung had finally figured out how to succesfully cook complex dishes in his old age.

"Take a big bite out of it, Wookie-ah," the older man encoraged as he held out the plate. Ryeowook smiled and nodded as he dug his spoon into the cake and separated a large portion into it. Yesung looked so pleased to see Ryeowook trying his cheesecake so he happily put the spoon in his mouth. The food was surprisingly good making Ryeowook's eyes widen as the delicious taste hit his tongue. He chewed and swallowed it easily under Yesung's watchful gaze.

"Is it good, Wookie-ah?" Yesung questioned, a slight leer to his words that made RYeowook look at him in confusion.

"Y-Yeah," the younger man answered, eyebrows quirked as he noticed the slightest smirk on Yesung's lips. His hyung was weird, though, so he decided to dismiss it as he grabbed for another bite of the cheesecake. "Where did you learn to make this, Sungie-hyung?" he questioned as he shoveled the bite into his mouth with a slight moan. It tasted really good.

"Lee Sooman, actually," Yesung answered and Ryeowook would have widened his eyes at that completely unexpected response if he wasn't starting to feel a bit dizzy. He felt his concentration slip and frowned, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his palm. He wasn't sure why but his vision was getting blurry and his head was starting to feel clouded.

"You okay, Ryeowook-ah?" Yesung asked sweetly. Ryeowook frowned as a rushing feeling crashed over his head and he felt even more light-headed. Yesung sounded really weird but there wasn't much Ryeowook could do about it as he desperately tried to orient himself around the faintness he felt coming over him.

"I actually d-don't feel good, hyung," Ryeowook mumbled, stumbling as his the dizziness caused him to lose his balance. His vision blurred over as he fell to his knees in the same motion, then slipped sidewise onto the ground almost gracefully, his arms splayed in front of his dizzy vision.

"Hyung," he whispered softly, the arm he hadn't landed on struggling to reach forward as Yesung's feet appeared in his line of vision. But he was too weak and a dark chuckle filled his ears as his fingers shook slightly before finally giving up, his arm outstretched for help he couldn't reach. Yesung knelt down into his line of vision and Ryeowook moaned, trying once again to reach for him.

"Ah-ah, Ryeowook-sshi," Yesung whispered and in an instant his face morphed. Ryeowook's blurry vision barely caught the transition as black spots danced along the edges but when Taeyang's face was suddenly looking at him instead of Yesung's he gasped and nearly choked because his body couldn't take in the air.

"Shhh," Taeyang coaxed, running his fingers almost patronizingly through Ryeowook's hair as the smaller man's body trembled with all the strength it had left. "You should have eaten more of the cake, it would have made this go faster."

Ryeowook wanted to do something - groan, shout, stand up and kick Taeyang's - but his vision was fading fast and he could barely process the situation as it was. His body was no longer responding to anything he told it to do and that included breathing. His vision spun as his eyes rolled and his head tipped to the ground, his lipsjust slightly parted as he desperately tried to take in oxygen.

Absently, as his eyes started to slide shut and his consciousness began to evade him, Ryeowook wondered where Yesung was and worried for the state his hyung could be in. Had Taeyang killed him too? Yesung's voice was very good, even with the recent injuries to it.

Before his vision completely faded to black, Ryeowook could have sworn he heard Taeyang cursing and the sound of something crashingfollowing the sound of someone shouting his name.

Hyungs help me.

And then the darkness swallowed him whole.

---------------

As the creator of the dubbed 'Protecting Ryeowookie 24/7' schedule, Leeteuk had fully been expecting to open the door of the dorm at 11:45 am and find Yesung and Ryeowookchatting away on the couch watching something on tv. He'd been so expectant of it that he hadn't even looked up when he entered the dorm, too focused on his conversation with the other members. Eunhyuk was fighting, quite passionately, with Heechul about some new group's dance stage, Kangin was absorbed in his phone and nodding absentmindedly at Zhoumi's one-sided conversation he was trying to have with him, and Donghae was excitedly rambling to Leeteuk about a story he'd heard from a friend. Leeteuk was in the middle of it all, trying to make sure Heechul and Eunhyuk didn't get physical, responding to key points that Zhoumi was talking about so the poor man wasn't completely ignored and trying desperately to make any sense of whatever Donghae was trying to talk about.

So when Leeteuk opened the door and walked in to toe off his shoe, he certainly wasn't expecting a nearly pterodactyl level scream to pierce his ears and stop any conversation previously going on. His head jolted up from where he was placing his shoes and with a short gasp as he took in the scene he ran forward, the other members not far behind.

"Wookie!" he screeched, having noticed his little dongsaeng lying limp on the ground first. He barely registered Yesung seemingly attempting to choke some unknown assailant a few feet away as he slid to the ground next to Ryeowook and immediately rolled him onto his back. Leaning down he held his ear next to Ryeowook's slightly parted lips and waited with closed eyes for any sign of breathing from the smaller man. When that didn't work Leeteuk frantically brought his hand down to check Ryeowook's pulse only to pull it back and slap it over his mouth, afraid he might vomit at any moment.

Ryeowook wasn't breathing and his heart wasn't beating. No, this... this can't be real...He... he's...

"Yah, you bastard!" Yesung screamed, his eyes wild as he stared at the man who had his back to Leeteuk. The man turned around to get away from a sudden lunge from Yesung and that's when Leeteuk saw who the man was. Taeyang. The man that wanted Ryeowook dead. And now...

"No!" Leeteuk yelled at the top of his lungs, drawing the attention of the entire room. Everyone froze at the way their leader lurched upward, clear murderous intent in his eyes. Vision blurry as his tears streamed down his cheeks unchecked, Leeteuk ran for a stunned Taeyang and grabbed him by the front of his jacket. "Bring him back," Leeteuk growled, voice choking. "You killed my dongsaeng, bring him back," he repeated, his eyes growing more red as his body shook in anger. Eunhyuk, Zhoumi, Heechul, Kangin, and Donghae who'd been confused by the situation suddenly seemed to notice the sprawled body near the couch and gasped in near unison. Even Leeteuk, who was holding Taeyang himself and had been facing the five, didn't notice Kangin coming until his large fist was crashing into the side of Taeyang's face with a mighty roar. The punch was so forceful it ripped Taeyang straight out of Leeteuk's grip and the man landed on the carpet.

"R-Ryeowook?" Eunhyuk's quivering voice broke the tension-filled silence. He ran past Leeteuk towards the crumpled body and the older let him, eyes watery as he watched Eunhyuk checkthe same vitals he'd checked himself.

It was when everyone was distracted by Eunhyuk that Leeteuk felt himself be pushed forward. He yelped as he lost his balance but then screamed Kangin's name as he realized it was Taeyang who had shoved him.

"Get back here, !" Kangin shouted as Taeyang sped past him at impossible speeds. He immediately ran after the younger singer, Donghae, Heechul, and Zhoumi on his tail. Leeteuk wanted to follow but turning on his heel he knew he couldn't. Before him Eunhyuk was breaking down into tears, his sobs still loud even as he pressed his face against Ryeowook's unmoving chest. The sight brought a rush of finality over Leeteuk and he suddenly felt empty, his emotions suddenly blank. Taeyang had done it, he'd killed his precious dongsaeng.

"Ye-Yesung," Leeteuk gasped, turning to other man in the room. After Leeteuk had grabbed Taeyang, Yesung had dropped to the floor and remained in the same position, sitting with his arms wrapped around his knees as he stared at Ryeowook's still body. When Leeteuk spoke up he brought his wide eyes up to meet his hyung's though his body still remained rigid.

"What happened?" the older asked desperately. Yesung cringed and dropped his gaze to his knees, hiding from the slight condemnation in Leeteuk's tone. Leeteuk knew Yesung would have helped Ryeowook if he could but he couldn't help feeling angry knowing Ryeowook had been under Yesung's care when he'd been attacked.

"He... Taeyang, he trapped me in the storage closet," Yesung answered, voice quivering. "I tried to get out but it wouldn't budge in the slightest, even when I threw my whole body at that damn door. I-" Yesung shuddered and his eyes drifted to Ryeowook, "I could hear him a little bit. Taeyang was pretending to be me, he got him to eat something and then Ryeowook said he wasn't feeling good. He must have poisoned whatever it was." Leeteuk nodded and glanced around, finally noticing a discarded slice of half-eaten cheesecake on the floor. "When I finally burst out I don't think he was expecting it. He looked so surprised but I was just concentrating on getting to Ryeowook. I was too late, though..." Yesung trailed off, eyes streaming with tears that he didn't take notice of.

"Wait," Eunhyuk finally spoke up, a croak in his voice as he lifted his head from Ryeowook's chest. "There's nothing around the storage closet, hyung," he pointed out, making all three turn to the mentioned closet.

"Yeah, it's weird but Ryeowook didn't hear me pounding on the door either even with me so close by," Yesung spoke in a daze, standing up and walking to the closet. He opened and closed the door a few times then looked to Leeteuk, his brow furrowed in concentration.

"Hyung, I think there's something weird about Taeyang. Maybe that cheesecake wasn't poisoned, what if it was-"

"-bewitched," a voice answered, causing all three members to jump and face the man standing in the doorway. Yesung growled and lungedforward as soon as he recognized the man.

"What are you doing here, Daesung," he asked dangerously, grabbingthe man's shirt in his fist and drawing him close with his other fist raised in the air to strike. The other man visibly shuddered but held his hands up in surrender.

"I'm here to help, hyung," he answered, meeting Yesung's eyes to show him his sincerity. Leeteuk shoved Yesung to the side and crowded in front of Daesung, his eyes raking over his face.

"Why would you want to help?"

"Because Taeyang has clearly lossed it," Daesung responded, swallowing a heavy lump at the deadly look in Leeteuk's eyes. "None of us Big Bang members thought he'd take it this far but Seungri found out and we want to help. We know what he did to Ryeowook," he insisted, slowly meeting Yesung and Eunhyuk's eyes before locking gazes with Leeteuk.

"And we know how you can bring him back to life."

--------------------

"Okay, wait, go over this one more time, please?" Heechul mumbled, shaking his head in confusion. The other members had come back to the dorm empty-handed and had been excited to hear there was a way to save Ryeowook, only...

"How does making out with Ryeowook bring him back to life?" Heechul continued, trying to wrap his head around this supposed 'solution'.

"Well, it's supposed to be true love's kiss," Leeteuk explained, looking much brighter now that there was a prospect for him to save his precious Ryeowookie, "but since we don't know who his true love is, we'll all have to kiss him."

"But why would true love's kiss save him?" Donghae asked, fully intrigued by the whole thing.

"Daesung said Taeyang isn't strong enough with magic to perform a fully fatal spell so he performed the one he found most difficult. He told Seungri he thought it would be impossible to find someone's true love," Eunhyuk recounted, tapping his chin. "It //is// sorta hard to find but I think it's likely one of us. Wookie loves us all very much, it has to be a member of Super Junior," he decidedly confidently, nodding his head to himself.

The other members looked wary of that explanation but were willing to do anything to try and help Ryeowook.

Cracking his neck, Heechul his lips and stood from the circle they'd created on thefloor.

"I guess I'll go first then," he offered, smacking his lips together. Before he could walk forward, however, a hand shot out to grab his leg and he looked to the owner incredulously.

"I should probably go first, actually," Yesung spoke up, removing his hand from Heechul's leg but continuing to stand and speak confidently. "I mean, it'll probably be my kiss that works anyway so there's no need for anyone else to do it."

"Yah, how can you be so sure?" Heechul asked with a huff, shoving Yesung away from him. "Ryeowook and I have a very special relationship, I'm more likely to be his true love than you."

"Umm, I think you're both wrong," Eunhyuk literally stepped in, inserting his body between his two hyungs. "Ryeowook may love you two as hyungs but we all know he loves me most."

And so the arguments began. The object of the argument, poor Ryeowook himself, was long forgotten as the members shoved and fought each other to prove how Ryeowook clearly loved them the most. Kangin had already tackled Donghae to the floor, Zhoumi was red in the face as he argued with an equally passionate Yesung, and Leeteuk had nearly been taken out when he'd had the //audacity// to insinuate that Ryeowook didn't even like Heechul all that much.

Eunhyuk, who had been part of Zhoumi and Yesung's argument, quietly slid out of the arguing mass of bodies and made his way to Ryewook who had been laid reverently on the table in the living room, his hands clasped on his chest and his head tilted just slightly to the side. The other members realized Eunhyuk's absence two seconds too late and collectively shrieked angrily as the dancer bent down and connected his lips with Ryeowook's soft ones, hisfingers delicately holding Ryeowook's chin. The room was silent as he pulled back a few seconds later and all the members stared at Ryeowook's face, dreading a reaction. Sure, they wanted to break the spell, but each wanted their own kiss to do it.

After a full minute of no one moving, it became apparent that Eunhyuk's attempt had been unsuccessful. The dancer's face fell into a grimace and he sniffled, trying not to cry.

"Yah, of course it's not you, you brat," Kangin hissed, grabbing Eunhyuk's arm and dragging the now pouting member out of the way. Before the other members had a chance, Kangin stomped to Ryeowook's side and knelt on the ground. Yesung tried to yank him back by the waist but he ignored the desperate man and pressed his lips quite forcefully against Ryeowook's.

The rest followed in quick succession, the members growing more and more upset at finding they weren't actually Ryeowook's true love. Heechul had even stuck his tongue down Ryeowook's throat hoping a more passionate approach might work but had gotten the same luck as the rest. Ryeowook didn't even twitch, his body still cold and unresponsive. Zhoumi was last in the line that had formed and he rubbed his hands nervously, glancing down at Ryeowook. Eunhyuk, Kangin, Heechul, Donghae, Yesung, and Leeteuk all sat off to the side dejectedly, watching the proceedings unhappily.

"What if its Shindong or Sungmin-hyung?" Donghae asked suddenly, stopping Zhoumi who rolled his eyes in annoyance. "They're in the army, how would we even keep Ryeowook's dead body here for two years until they get back?"

"He's so pretty; we could keep him in a glass container for everyone to admire until they get back," Yesung contemplated, making the members around him shudder. Leeteuk and Eunhyuk, who were seated on either side of him, casually slid as far away from Yesung as they could get.

"That's... just creepy, hyung."

"Will you guys stop tryingto stall?!" Zhoumi shrieked, throwing his hands into the air. "My kiss is going to work anyway, you're all just afraid to admit you were wrong!"

"Yeah right," Heechul spoke petulantly, rolling his eyes. Zhoumi hissed but turned his attention back to Ryeowook, placing his hand along the smaller man's cheek and the protruding cheekbone. Everyone had simply attacked Ryeowook with their  lips but Zhoumi was sure a sweet kiss was exactly what would bring Ryeowook back to life. Ryeowook was sweet, after all. Zhoumi knew him so well.

Just as he bent down to gently press his lips to Ryeowook's the door of the apartment burst open.

"Hyungs, I came... back... early..." Kyuhyun trailed off, blinking rapidly. "Um, what are you... what are you doing?" he asked, confusion clear in his voice as he stared at Zhoumi who was - kissing Ryeowook?

No one deigned to answer Kyuhyun as they watched Zhoumi and Ryeowook with bated breath. Zhoumi pulled back after a few seconds and his eyes fluttered open to look down at Ryeowook but, alas, just like the other members, after a few more seconds it was clear that Zhoumi's kiss hadn't worked either. A few of the members cheered and Heechul lungedforward, throwing his arm around a very upset Zhoumi's neck.

"Told you you weren't his true love, your nose is too big," he spoke sagely, though his tone was smug.

"That doesn't even make sense, hyung!" Zhoumi cried defensively, shoving Heechul's chest.

"Will someone please tell me what the is going on?" Kyuhyun screamed above the resulting noise, finally gaining the attention of the other members. Leeteuk looked up and seemed to just realize Kyuhyun was standing there. He stood up with a bright grin and tugged the extremely confused Kyuhyun forward by his arm.

"Of course, guys, it might be Kyuhyun!" Leeteuk said excitedly, the other members mumbling their agreement. Leeteuk turned back to Kyuhyun and patted his cheek, much to the younger's annoyance. "Kyuhyun-ah, kiss Ryeowook!"

"What?!" Kyuhyun asked, face suddenly going pale in shock.

"You like Ryeowook, don't you?" Donghae intoned, coming up behind Leeteuk to leer at Kyuhyun over the leader's shoulder.

"I-I-" Kyuhyun stuttered through his attempt at responding, hisface a brilliant shade of red.

"Yes, I bet Kyuhyun can wake Wook from the curse," Leeteuk cheered. Yesung, Heechul, and Eunhyuk still dejectedly shook their heads with their arms crossed over their chests but Leeteuk and Donghae were convinced, both grabbing Kyuhyun to push him towards Ryeowook.

"What-" Kyuhyun tried to get out over his hyungs' ramblings but he barely got the noise out before he was shoved to his knees in front of Ryeowook, his hands coming to each side of Ryeowook's body to brace himself so he wouldn't fall on the smaller man.

"Kiss Wookie, Kyu, you have to save him. We weren't his true love but maybe you are," Donghae ordered, pushing at Kyuhyun's shoulders some more when the younger refused to move. Finally fed up and so very incredibly confused, Kyuhyun spun around and slapped Donghae's hand away, commanding the attention of the room.

"Yah, someone tell me what the hell is going on!" he screamed, eyes wide. It was rare to see the younger man lose his cool but he didn't like not being in control in a situation and he really didn't like that his hyungs had apparently known about his crush on Ryeowook and were actively trying to get him to make out with... a sleeping Ryeowook? What was Ryeowook doing anyway?

"You have to kiss Ryeowook!" Leeteuk declared, as if that explained everything. "You have to break the spell."

"Spell? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Taeyang-sshi killed Ryeowook, Kyuhyun-ah," Yesung answered, finally stepping forward despite believing he was Ryeowook's true love and not Kyuhyun. "He killed him with a spell but we can save him with true love's kiss."

The apartment was silent after Yesung's words. Kyuhyun stared up at Yesung, his stare blank.

"Um, hyung," Kyuhyun finally spoke after a few minutes of deciding how to respond to the crazy words that had just left Yesung's mouth, "I really think you guys should leave the pranking to me. You kind of at it."

"You brat, this isn't a prank!" Kangin shouted angrily, stomping forward to shove Kyuhyun back towards Ryeowook. "He isn't breathing, is he?" he demanded forcefully. Kyuhyun quirked an eyebrow and turned back toward Kangin to question the sanity of all his hyungs but upon seeing the absolute scowl the older man was giving him, Kyuhyun turned back around and studied Ryeowook with an annoyed sigh.

It's so clear this is just a stupid prank the members got wrong and now they're just too ashamed it was a horrible plan that's not working and- wait. Ryeowook's chest really hasn't moved. It's been way too long for him to hold his breath, what the-

Eyes blown wide, Kyuhyun lunged forward and reached a shaking hand out to Ryeowook's neck, desperately feeling for a pulse. He had to ignore the unnatural chill of Ryeowook's skin that tried to affirm what he was apt to deny. When there was no reassuring thump underneath his fingertips he felt his own breath stopping and he stared at Ryeowook's face, trying to convince himself this was all still somehow a joke.

No way Ryeowook is dead, there's no way. My Wookie, there's no way...

"See, Taeyang killed him! Now you have to-"

"Are you insane?!" Kyuhyun cut Donghae off, turning around with a wild look in his eyes. "Ryeowook is... and you've all been sitting here kissing him to break him from some stupid mythical 'spell' instead of ing helping him?!" Kyuhyun asked incredulously. "We-we have to get him to a hospital," he decided, wrapping his arms around Ryeowook's shoulders and waist and hefting his upper half against his own.

"You can't!" Leeteuk insisted, scrambling toward Kyuhyun and stopping him before he could shift Ryeowook completely into his arms. "He can be brought back to life but if anyone finds out he's dead they'll get rid of him before we can!"

"Hyung, he needs help!" Kyuhyun cried, shocked at the way all of the other members circled around he and Ryeowook, making it clear that they wouldn't let him out of the apartment. He had no idea why the other members were so insistent that Ryeowook was under a spell and he was at a loss in figuring out how to convince them to listen to reality. A thought sparked in his mind and he grimaced but the heavy weight of Ryeowook's head tilted against his neck made the decision for him.

"If I kiss him, will you let me go find help for him?" he demanded, looking up to Leetuek who immediately began nodding enthusiastically. Letting out a defeated sigh, he slowly and gently lowered Ryeowook's body back onto the table, hand behind his head to place it reverently down. He heard a happy squeal behind him that sounded suspiciously like Donghae but he elected to ignore it.

This isn't exactly how I wanted to kiss Ryeowook, Kyuhyun thought, staring down at Ryeowook's lips as he inched closer, but given the situation...

Squeezing his eyes closed, Kyuhyun banished all thoughts from his mind and leaned down, connecting his lips to Ryeowook's. He was immediately hit with an almost drunken haze and he couldn't help feeling that he was meant to kiss Ryeowook, because Ryeowook's lips made him feel emotions he hadn't felt before. Past the haze he definitely heard Donghae squealing this time but he couldn't be bothered as he tilted his head and deepened his kiss. He probably could have continued kissing Ryeowook without any care in the world but the cold caress of Ryeowook's cheek against his immediately reminded him of the situation and he pulled back quickly, eyes fluttering open as his cheeks stained a dark red.

"N-Now that we're done with that n-nonsense," Kyuhyun choked out, coughing as he tried to subtly hide himself behind his hand to get away from the amused stares of his hyungs, "we should-"

"No ing way!" Eunhyuk suddenly shrieked, startling Kyuhyun whose eyes darted up to look at the very angry dancer. He quirked his eyebrow as he noticed that Eunhyuk wasn't looking at him at all but just past him. Kyuhyun followed his line of vision and gasped loudly, his jaw dropping open.

Ryeowook's eyelashes were fluttering.

"Why the is it Kyuhyun?" Eunhyuk continued to whine but Kyuhyun paid him little mind as he reached out to grab one of Ryeowook's hands. The second his hand clasped the smaller one Ryeowook's eyes slowly peeled open and he took in a large lungful of air.

"Ryeowook," Kyuhyun whispered in absolute astonishment, his eyes blown wide. Ryeowook blinked a few times as he took in too-large gulps of air and then his breathing settled and his eyes blazed with awareness. Suddenly, Ryeowook jolted upright with a heavy gasp. Kyuhyun reacted quickly, wrapping his arms around Ryeowook's rigid body and pulling him in close, holding the small body as tight as he could. Ryeowook began shuddering in his grasp but his shaking hand came up to clasp Kyuhyun's bicep.

"Kyu?"

"I'm here," Kyuhyun replied quickly, lifting his head to place a delicate kiss to the top of Ryeowook's head. He'd been so focused on Ryeowook's sudden miraculous awakening that  he'd even forgotten about the other members that still remained in the room but that all went out the window when Leeteuk suddenly sobbed loudly and came crashing into the two cuddling figures, glomping them straight to the carpet.

"My little maknaes!" Leeteuk cried happily, reaching down to place sloppy kisses against a completely shocked Ryeowook and a disgruntled Kyuhyun's cheek.

"This means Kyuhyun is Ryeowook's true love!" Donghae reminded everyone happily, quite sufficiently bringing the burning back to Kyuhyun's cheeks as he buried his face in Ryeowook's hair and accepted his fate. Eunhyuk, Yesung and Zhoumi sported very prominent pouts as they mumbled about it likely being a fluke and that it really wasn't like a final decision.

"Wait, what?!" Ryeowook's muffled voice shrieked from underneath Kyuhyun, Leeteuk and now Heechul who had decided to join the glomping session. The other members all froze besides Kyuhyun who dug his face further into Ryeowook's hair and desperately wished the ground would swallow him whole.

"And why is there slober on my face?!" Ryeowook continued, face twisted in disgust as he touched the wet skin around his lips. Everyone turned to look at Heechul who shrugged shamelessly.

"We might have some things to explain, Wookie-ah," Leeteuk said as he turned back to look at Ryeowook with a bashful smile, rubbing the back of his neck.

-----------------

Ryeowook stared up at the imposing building in front of him in utter disbelief, his jaw hanging open and still wearing the same expression of disbelief that had been plastered on his face since his hyungs had explained exactly what happened earlier and proceeded to storm out with he and Kyuhyun to this very building.

Precisely, the dorm building housing Korea's boy band sensation, Big Bang.

"Hyungs, what are we doing here?!" Ryeowook shrieked, finally tearing his disbelieving stare away from the building and towards the overzealous Leeteuk who was nearly hopping in his spot next to him.

"We're gonna go punch that jerk Taeyang right in his face!" Leeteuk answered enthusiastically. "We'll teach him not to mess with a member of Super Junior!"

Ryeowook blinked once before reaching out and slapping Leeteuk's arm gaining a squeal and a pout from the elder.

"Why did you bring me here?" Ryeowook asked incredulously, quite admirably ignoring Leeteuk's very convincing pout. "You do remember he wants to kill me, right?"

"Yeah, hyung, this doesn't seem like the most thought-out plan," Kyuhyun intoned from Ryeowook's other side, still rubbing the spot on his arm where Heechul had quite violently grabbed and shoved him into the van.

"Yeah, now that they're mentioning it-" Yesung spoke up as he rubbed the back of his neck but was immediately cut short by Leeteuk who waved his arms frantically.

"Okay, okay, I get it but we're here now and we can't go back on it so you all have to deal with it, okay?" Leeteuk shouted, turning to each member and glaring at them each in turn. Suddenly silent, the other members nodded politely, now fearing Leeteuk more than Taeyang. Of course, save for one member who never truly felt threatened by anything.

"Did we have to do this right away though?" Heechul huffed, flicking a few strands off his forehead and blatantly ignoring Leeteuk's death glare. "It'll just be troublesome..." he sighed heavily, giving off waves of displeasure as he inspected his nails carefully.

"Taeyang needs to learn his lesson as soon as possible," Eunhyuk spoke out, putting his hands on his hips. Zhoumi nodded his head rapidly behind Eunhyuk but that may have had something more to do with the way Leeteuk had been eyeing the poor chinese man than his resolve to carry out the leader's plan.

"But you didn't even let Ryeowook react to everything we told him," Donghae pointed out, walking to Ryeowook's side and sliding his arm around the smaller man's shoulders. "That's not good for plot development," he continued sagely. Everyone turned to give him a confused glance before shrugging and turning back to Ryeowook who crossed his arms and pouted.

"Yeah, I really wanted to know more about that whole 'kiss with Kyuhyun' thing," the small man whined. Cheeks burning in embarrassment, Kyuhyun desperately waved his hands in the air and shook his head aggressively.

"It was probably just a fluke, Wookie-ah, we should just forget about it," he stuttered out, turning even more red as Ryeowook turned around to face him fully with the same pout more prominently displayed on his lips.

"But maybe I don't want to forget it," Ryeowook mumbled, eyes immediately slipping from Kyuhyun's gaze to stare at the ground. "It's not fair," he mumbled even softer, his eyebrows furrowing under his bangs, "you got to kiss me but I didn't even get to kiss you back."

"Wait, what?" Kyuhyun asked, eyes wide.

"Nothing!" Ryeowook shrieked suddenly, turning around and grabbing Leeteuk's arm quickly. "Let's go get this guy or whatever," Ryeowook called with false enthusiasm, immediately darting into the building with a confused Leeteuk trailing behind.

"But... but he just..." Kyuhyun stuttered, staring after the door that Ryeowook had just dissappeared through with a stunned look on his face. Yesung rolled his eyes and stepped forward to smack the back of Kyuhyun's head soundly, ignoring the pained shout the youngest gave.

"Yes he likes you too, idiot," Yesung told Kyuhyun. "Do you not understand the whole 'true love's kiss' thing you two had?"

"I thought it was a fluke!" Kyuhyun shrieked, turning to stare at Yesung in abject horror.

"Guys," Zhoumi interrupted, grabbing Yesung's arm to stop the elder from hitting the back of Kyuhyun's head again, "maybe we should save this conversation until after we've made sure Leeteuk and Ryeowook didn't just run into their deaths in there?" he suggested in an exhasperated tone.

"Oh , Wookie!" Kyuhyun and Yesung both shouted at the same time, meeting each other's gazes before darting into the building together. Eunhyuk quickly followed with a whoop of excitement, an equally excited but slightly cautious Donghae trailing as well. Zhoumi rolled his eyes and went in as well with Kangin, a very unhappy and grumbling Heechul bringing up the rear.

The inside of the building was definitely nothing like the outside had been. The outside was definitely a dorm building but the second the members stepped into the building, they were stepping into some deadly thorn-filled environment. Kyuhyun studied the thorns in confusion, noting how they seemed to be multiple stories high. He turned back to the door they'd come from and then looked back at the thorns, very confused.

"How...?"

"Magic?" Donghae hesitantly answered, stepping up next to Kyuhyun and inspecting the thorns in front of them. "But where's Leeteuk and Ryeowook?"

"Look!" Yesung shouted, everyone following the direction of his arm to see a brick room nestled in the middle of the thorns.

"This is impossible!" Kangin exclaimed in despair, noting how thick the thorns were between them and the mysterious room.

"I know, it's not even the right fairy tale!" Donghae cried, gaining another round of confused stares being thrown his way. Kyuhyun shook his head and looked back at the thorns, trying to figure out a way through.

"We need something to cut these thorns with," he muttered, tapping his finger against his chin in contemplation. He glanced around the room, trying to find something that could help him out. As he turned in a circle he suddenly stopped, staring at Heechul intensely with his head tilted to the side.

"Heechul-hyung, where did you get that sword?" Kyuhyun asked incredulously, watching as Heechul posed with an impressive blade over his shoulder and pursed his lips together, staring at the camera seductively.

"Found it on the ground when we came in," Heechul explained lazily, snapping a picture only to frown as he looked down at it. "Aish, this selfie isn't right at all," he muttered to himself before hefting the sword over his shoulder and taking another picture. Kyuhyun yelped in exhasperation and lunged forward, snatching the sword from Heechul's hands with a roll of his eyes.

"We can use this to cut the thorns," Kyuhyun explained as he turned to the others, ignoring the noises Heechul was making as he went over the photos he'd taken.

"Here, give it to me," Kangin offered, reaching out to take the sword from Kyuhyun. He hefted the sword over his head and quickly brought it down on the thorn bush, easily taking out a giant chunk.

"Ah, Kangin-ah, that looks so cool," Heechul declared, holding his phone up as Kangin grinned and flexed his muscles. "Do it again, I wanna get a cool picture," Heechul demanded and Kangin obliged, holding the sword over his head and grinning cheesily at the camera.

"Hyung!" Kyuhyun shrieked impatiently.

"Okay, okay, I'm going," Kangin groaned, going back to cutting away at the thorns. Eunhyuk and Donghae happily cheered for Kangin as the elder man cut through the barrier, the others following in the pathway Kangin created. Finally they arrived at the brick room and Kangin happily dropped the sword.

"You guys can do that next time," Kangin complained, rubbing his sore arms.

"Yeah hyung, if we're ever in this situation again, I'll be sure to be the one to cut through the crazy thorn barrier," Kyuhyun replied sarcastically as he studied the brick room for some sort of entrance. "Ah-ha!" he declared proudly as he found a small, almost hidden doorknob. He was about to pull it open when the echo of a shout reached their ears, stopping Kyuhyun in his tracks.

"I think that was Leeteuk," Zhoumi pointed out.

"This doesn't even make sense, there's not supposed to be two prisoners!" Donghae insisted, making everyone once again look at him in confusion. "The princess is supposed to be the one in trouble in these stories."

"Donghae, what are you..."

"We don't have time for that, we gotta go save Leeteuk-hyung and Ryeowook-ah," Eunhyuk declared, running to the doorknob Kyuhyun had found and yanking it open. He quickly ran inside, followed by the rest of the members. The inside of the room was dark and almost instantly descended into stairs that led them low into some sort of dungeon-esque basement. Eunhyuk led the group hesitantly, moving slowly as there was little light to guide them. He almost stopped them to try and figure out a better way to get around but another angered shout, closer now, from Leeteuk caused all ofthem to immediately run in the direction the sound was coming from.

As they drew closer they could clearly hear the sounds of Leeteuk's dramatic rampage, though it was hard to make out words. Kyuhyun was sure he'd heard Leeteuk yell "and another thing you glorified beef muffin' at one point in time. It wasn't long until light spilled around them and they came across a giant room, somehow three stories tall. Defying the laws of physics was somehow a theme for that day.

"Come over here and untie me you pickled swine!" Leeteuk's cry drew Kyuhyun from his  confliction over the impossibility of everything going on and back to the present. The members came to a halt and stared stunned at the scene in front of them. Leeteuk was tied to the opposite walls, spewing insults as he tugged on the ropes connecting him to the brick. Taeyang stood in the middle of the room, his hands raised and a yellow glow encasing both. Taeyang's hands were raised towards a terrified looking Ryeowook, his body held middair in a similar yellow glow and his trembling hands clamped firmly over his own mouth.

"Kyuhyun!" Leeteuk screamed as soon as he noticed the people who'd entered the room. Tugging on his bonds, he yelped as he noticed his shout had attracted Taeyang's attention to the interlopers as well. "Kyuhyun, he's trying to steal Wookie's voice!" Leeteuk yelled quickly. Donghae threw his hands up in the air.

"Dude, wrong fairy tale again!" he said, clearly offended, and this time even Taeyang and Ryeowook turned to stare at him in confusion for a few seconds before turning back to what they were doing.

"You can't stop me, his voice will be mine!" Taeyang shouted triumphantly, grabbing Ryeowook's jaw forcefully and pulling his hands away with a quiet whimper from the small singer. Kyuhyun's eyes widened before narrowing, trained on Taeyang. He charged at the dancer, tackling his body to the ground the second a bright golden aura had begun to pour out of a tearful Ryeowook's mouth. As soon as Taeyang hit the ground underneath Kyuhyun the glow around Ryeowook dissapated and Ryeowook collapsed, the gold aura seeping back into his body. As Kyuhyun and Taeyang wrestled, Yesung, Kangin, Eunhyuk, Donghae, and Zhoumi quickly ran to Leeteuk's side and untied the ropes binding his wrists.

"Are you alright, Teukkie?" Eunhyuk asked worriedly, examining the rope burns on their leader's wrists.

"Yeah I'm fine," Leeteuk assured, smiling at the members for a moment before frowning and looking around.

"Where's Hee-"

"Smile, Leeteuk," Heechul declared as he slid in next to Leeteuk and snapped a picture. Leeteuk stared at him in disbelief, his jaw dropped.

"Heechul," Leeteuk scolded, crossing his arms angrily, "I wasn't ready for that one, you have to retake it!"

Heechul smiled and held up the camera for another picture but Yesung quickly grabbed the phone and threw it across the room where it skidded to a halt next to a pile of rubble.

"Can't you tell they need our help!" Yesung scolded both of them, pointing to where Taeyang and Kyuhyun were still wrestling.

"Oh, right," Heechul murmured.

"How are we ever going to defeat Taeyang-sshi?" Donghae mourned loudly. "He's so powerful, it will be impossible for us to defeat him!"

"We have to come up with a plan!" Leeteuk declared, clapping his hands together. "It will be difficult but if we combine our unique strenghts, I think we can defeat him."

"But he's so powerful, how will we do it?" Zhoumi asked incredulously, staring at Leeteuk in amazement.

"Oh, it will be very difficult," Leeteuk responded, nodding his head solemnly. "Some of us may even die, but we must do this for the sake of our precious maknae!-"

"... Zhoumi's probably going to be the one that dies..."

"-So we'll take this one step at a time. First, Eunhyuk will challenge Taeyang to a dance off-"

"Heechul hyung! Why am I the one that has to die?!"

"-and while Donghae is fishing for the killer shark, Kangin will challenge Taeyang to an arm-wrestling match-"

"Come on, it's pretty obvious you were going to be the one to die, Zhoumi."

"- so of course the horse will be pretty angry about us strapping a cone to its head but if we feed it the sugar plums from Heechul I think-"

"Me?! If anyone was going to die, it'd be you, Lee Hyukjae."

"-and right as the beat drops the lights will kick on and, boom, there's a crowd of 20,000 people jamming to the sick songs I got going-"

"Um, hyungs?"

"As if! Out of all of us, I'd probably be the one most likely to survive."

"- so then Heechul drops from the ceiling and he's got 15 mirrors, all pointed at the rainbow unicorn, of course-"

"Hyungs...."

"I could kill you all right now and decide it for you."

"-and if Ryeowook is still alive at that point, Kyuhyun will sing an ear-splitting medly of 80's music-"

"Hyungs!"

Leeteuk, Kangin, Yesung, Zhoumi, Eunhyuk, Donghae, and Heechul all stopped and glanced up at the interrupting voice. Kyuhyun stood in front of them with Ryeowook at his side, both looking unimpressed as they stared down at their hyungs.

"We already took care of Taeyang," Kyuhyun told them, nodding back to where a surly Taeyang was tied up on the ground with the same rope that had been holding Leeteuk earlier.

"But... how did you take him out so easily?" Donghae asked incredulously, standing and examining both maknaes. Kyuhyun glanced at Ryeowook who shrugged and glanced back towards the other members.

"Kyuhyun punched him in the face. He started crying about his perfect cheekbones so I grabbed the rope and we tied him up. It was pretty easy, actually."

"That's... that's all it took?" Leeteuk asked, a slight pout to his lips. Kyuhyun rolled his eyes upon seeing it.

"Yes hyung, that's all it took. Aren't you glad we're all alright now?"

"I guess," Leeteuk murmured, heaving a huge sigh. "It's just so anticlimatic." He sighed again and glanced around for a moment before his eyes went back to Ryeowook and Kyuhyun. His face suddenly lit up, making the maknaes take a hesitant step backwards.

"Are you two..." he asked, his voice increasing in volume even as he trailed off, pointing at where Kyuhyun's hand rested on Ryeowook's hip. Kyuhyun flushed once more but stayed resilient and nodded slightly, pulling Ryeowook closer to himself.

"Well, since I'm his true love, might as well," Kyuhyun said, getting a giggle out of Ryeowook.

"Yeah, I haven't gotten my kiss yet," Ryeowook declared, turning and grabbing Kyuhyun's face to pull him down into a kiss. Despite Donghae's loud shriek of excitement and Leeteuk's spastic clapping, Kyuhyun pressed firmly into the kiss and slid his hands to rest on Ryeowook's waist, holding him close.

"Yay, happily ever after!" Donghae cheered, squealing once more. He turned to Taeyang and narrowed his eyes at the confused star. "Take note, they're actually doing the fairy tale right!"

---------------------

"After that, it was kind of hazy. I think Kyuhyun and Ryeowook ended up getting married. Oh, and Heechul ended up getting some sort of record for all the likes he got on all his selfies he took throughout the whole thing so it was a happy ending! And basically, that's why you shouldn't eat expired kimchi with soju right before falling asleep on a six hour plane ride," Henry finished his story, nodding to himself. His eyes had fallen closed at some point as he'd been retelling his story and as he opened them, he took in the sight of nine very confused men, eyebrows furrowed and heads tilted.

"Um, Henry-yah, I think we need to take you to go see a doctor," Leeteuk finally spoke up, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

"Oh no, hyung, I'm fine now. And the dream was actually pretty exciting; we should make it a skit for the next show or something!"

A sudden sniffle broke the stunned silence that followed Henry's excited words, everyone turning to it's source. Ryeowook wiped at his eyes, pouting slightly as he turned betrayed eyes on Henry.

"Henry-yah, why do you want me dead?" he asked sadly, voice indicating he was both upset and offended.

"No no, Ryeowook-hyung, I don't want you dead!" Henry rushed to defend himself, noting the way the other members were looking at him like he was satan now. "I brought you back to life, remember?"

"But why was I the one you wanted to kill in the first place?" Ryeowook asked, frowning sullenly.

"Because you and Kyuhyun were the main characters. You know I love you, hyung," Henry insisted, reaching out to hug Ryeowook and rub his face apologetically against his arm.

"I think Henry just wants to see us making out more," Kyuhyun teased, pulling Ryeowook against himself and instantly pressing his lips against Ryeowook's pouting ones. Ryeowook relented easily, and tilting his head to fit better against Kyuhyun's lips. Henry groaned and turned away, shielding his eyes from the PDA.

"Who knew you were such a Kyuwook shipper," Zhoumi teased the younger man, laughing as Henry blanched further when Ryeowook clearly whimpered under Kyuhyun's minstrations.

"I'm not so sure anymore," Henry whispered, eyes wide.