“How long have we been climbing?” Taemin groaned as they continued to march up the mountainside. The incline had gotten considerably steeper and the terrain rougher, and so they were all glistening with perspiration and short of breath. Though the temperature had dropped slightly due to the rise in altitude, the six hikers were fanning themselves with their jackets tied around their waists. Eun-Ae wasn’t sure how much longer they had until the peak, as the trees were still packed tightly together around the trail; she hoped it was not too much longer. She didn’t possess much stamina to begin with, being on all sorts of drugs and largely confined to her bed before Key's abrupt arrival, but oddly enough she felt that it had taken a serious hit in the past twenty-four hours. She could barely make it for fifteen minutes before she was panting hard and had to her the boys to stop. I don’t know how much longer I can hold out, she thought weakly.

“We’ve been climbing for about five hours,” Minho reported as he glanced at his phone time. “We should be reaching the top soon,” he added as he glanced up the trail. Despite how much fun they had been having on the hike up, Eun-Ae was relieved. She was growing short of breath again, but she tried her best to just concentrate on her breathing. In, out. In, out. In, out. The constricting feeling faded away, and she jogged forward slightly to catch up with the group.

“Hey. How are you holding up?” Key asked her quietly as she slowed beside him. Just the sound of his voice made her giddy, and she smiled shyly as she mumbled something along the lines of “I’m fine.” It was amazing how in the span of less than a day she could see him in an entirely new way, and feel entirely different about him. As he slipped his hand into hers, entwining their fingers, she could not help but giggle a little. “What’s so funny?” he chuckled at her.

“I’m sorry, I just… I’m really happy…” she admitted bashfully. She averted her eyes from his intense gaze. I never imagined that someone could make me feel this way… she thought as her heart began pounding again; however, she could still feel his eyes on her, and so she slowly raised her head to look back at him. Their eyes locked, and she became lost in his gaze. He smiled smugly at her, and the next thing she knew he was kissing her. She jerked back with a gasp. “H-Hey! You can’t do that in front of the guys!” she hissed, glancing further down the trail. Thankfully, they were too absorbed in gawking at a hawk sitting in a tree to pay attention to the couple.

“Why not?” he mused as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in for another kiss. She put a hand over his mouth, and he tilted his head back and let out a long groan of disappointment. “Eun-Aaaaaaaae…” he whined through her fingers.

“It’s embarrassing!” she protested. “They don’t know! Please? Wait to do stuff like that until we're alone… For now,” she frowned at him. He stamped his foot in impatience, but he obediently retreated and resigned himself to holding her hand. It was just in time, as Jonghyun came strolling down the trail.

“Oh, so I can fool around with you when they aren’t around?” Key purred in her ear, making her turn bright red just as Jonghyun stopped in front of her.

“Um, yes, Jonghyun?” she asked quickly, hoping that the boy didn’t notice her agitated state. He cocked an eyebrow at her, but much to her relief, said nothing to comment on her strange behavior.

“We’re going to stop for a minute. Taemin drank too much water,” he explained, glancing over his shoulder to glare pointedly at the boy, who had his hands between his legs and was dancing around making a very uncomfortable face. “What are you still doing there? Do you need permission?” he called hotly, and Taemin immediately took off into the bushes. “Anyway, you should rest,” he told her as he turned back to her. “I know this hasn’t been easy on you.”

“Yes, thank you, I will,” she nodded, and he smiled gently at her before rejoining the group. As soon as he turned his back, Key pulled her off the trail and pressed her up against the trunk of a tree. She felt her cheeks grow hot, like she was standing beside an open flame, but she simultaneously felt shivers up her spine as he ran his fingertips up her sides, lifting her shirt slightly.

“We're alone,” he smirked at her when she gave him an incredulous look. He just smiled wider as he leaned forward, and Eun-Ae allowed him to gently press his lips against hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he grabbed her hips to pull her body against his. She could feel his muscles flexing underneath his clothes, and in a moment of delirium she wondered what it would be like if the clothes weren’t between them at all. Oh, shame on you, Eun-Ae! She scolded herself silently. He angled his head, kissing her harder, and she slowly ran her hands up his neck to tangle into his hair. As she twirled a strand of his hair around her finger, she smiled at the taste of his mouth and the sensation of his touch. I’m so happy, she thought blissfully.

Then it felt like the force of an entire truck slammed into her chest, and her knees buckled as all the strength left her body. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe, she thought in panic as she landed roughly among the strong tree roots, doubling over as she held her hands to her chest. It felt like her lungs were completely gone, replaced with just unimaginable pain. Somehow she managed to scream despite not being able to breathe at all, and then she heard pounding footsteps as she curled up among the dead leaves and dirt and just cried and screamed some more.

“What’s happening?” Minho cried as he crouched down next to her. Her vision was fading in and out, and she could barely see anything but his outline, and gathered around him were the rest of the boys.

“I don’t know! She just collapsed all of a sudden!” Key cried. The volume of his voice sent shockwaves of pain through her skull, and she writhed in agony on the ground. Now both her chest and her head felt they were in a vice grip, tightening to the point she felt like she was going to explode. “Eun-Ae? Eun-Ae? Can you hear me?” he whispered as he shoved Minho aside and pulled her into his arms. She clutched at his shirt, fighting unconsciousness. I’m dying, I’m dying, it’s too soon…! She thought as the panic continued to rise inside of her.

“She’s turning blue!” she heard Taemin yelling, and his voice sounded far, far away.

“Eun-Ae, Eun-Ae, baby, stay with me,” Key was saying, and she could vaguely feel him kissing her forehead, her cheek, her lips. She didn’t care now that all the other guys could see. She just wanted him to keep kissing her, and keep holding her, because that was the only thing keeping her from giving in to the encroaching darkness. Stay awake, you have to stay awake, Eun-Ae!

“We have to do something! Jonghyun, have you gotten through on the radio?” Onew asked desperately. The man came bounding off from a few yards away, slipping in the leaves as he crouched down next to Key. Stay awake, stay awake, stay awake!

“They have a helicopter on the way, but they can only pick her up from the peak. The trees will get in the way,” he explained breathlessly. “They’ll be here soon, but how are we going to get her up there?” Stay awake, stay awake…

“Like this,” Key grunted as he scooped her into his arms. She didn’t even have the strength to cry out as shooting pain raced through her skull. Stay… Awake… “Eun-Ae, just hang in there, we're gonna get you some help, okay?” he smiled weakly down at her. He gripped her tightly as he began running up the trail, and Eun-Ae was so out of it that she couldn’t even feel her own body jostling. Stay…. A… Wake… The world danced around her, phasing in and out of focus. Over her head, the tree branches began to disappear and light streamed down over her, and the sky was more blue than she had ever thought it could be. It’s so… Beautiful… she thought weakly. Her eyes began to drift closed, and then Key shook her violently, and she jolted awake. “Eun-Ae, stay with me!” she managed to look up, using the last of her strength, and she was amazed to see tears in Key's eyes. “Please, please, stay with me,” he was begging her. Key…

Her head flopped back down, and the beautiful blue sky was now dominated by a rapidly approaching helicopter. The blades whirred loudly, buffeting the mountain peak with wind as it descended. I… I can’t… She thought weakly as her world began to fade, and the helicopter’s engine and Key's voice all sounded so far away. “Eu… Stay…. Me…!” he was shouting, but she couldn’t hear him anymore, or see him anymore, or feel anything anymore. Her chest was burning, and her head was pounding, and she just wanted it to be over with. I can’t hold on…

Her eyes drifted shut as they strapped her into the airlift gurney, and the last thing she clearly heard was Key screaming her name, off in the distance as she felt herself slip away.