Whilst at home - and completely unaware of the situation plaguing their friends - the others remained at home, just laughing and chatting away as they lounged around whilst waiting for their friends to return. As they laughed away at a Christmas film, a news report suddenly cut into the programming, the Breaking News headline capturing their attention straight away.

“Accident outside the local shopping mall exit; two pedestrians have been hit - here is a live look from our helicopter which is flying over the scene.” the reporter spoke. As the report cut to a live shot of the happenings at the shopping mall, both Hyunjoong and Youngsaeng’s heart dropped. Even though the image was blurry, they could make out that the figures seemed to be wearing the exact same clothing that their partners had been wearing when they left the house.

“Hyun-” he spoke up, only to stop when Hyunjoong put his hand up, though the color drained from his face.

“Just - hang on.” he spoke. He quickly grabbed his phone, frantically dialing the number of Jungmin whilst already jumping up to grab his coat. Panic flooded him even more when his partner didn’t answer, leading him to quickly dial again and listen for anything.

“Oh God.” Hyungjoon suddenly spoke up as the reporter began speaking again, the words cutting through all of them like a knife;

“And it seems that the victims in this horrific accident are Park Jungmin and Kim Kyujong of Double-S-five-O-one. The condition of the victims is unknown at this time but they are being transported to the local hospital for treatment as we speak.”

Both Hyunjoong and Youngsaeng froze for a second, seemingly petrified with fear as they listened to the report on the news. Not knowing whether or not their partners were okay was borderline torture, and the two knew that they had to race to the hospital for themselves to find out what was happening. Hyungjoon saw their friends’ faces and immediately stood up, deciding to take charge of the situation.

“The children don’t need to see the guys in that condition, so I’ll explain to them what’s happened and I’ll bring them a bit later on - when you all tell me to,” he spoke up, “Go; just go see what’s going on.”

Hyunjoong and Youngsaeng exchanged a glance,thinking about what the youngest member was saying, but deciding against such. They convinced him to just come along and bring the children with; Hyungjoon hesitating a bit because he didn’t feel the children should see that but agreeing in the end as it wasn’t really his call. The children were called from their rooms and quickly informed of the situation before they all piled into the respective vehicles, making their way to the hospital with worry flooding through them and constant mutterings of prayers as they did so. Upon reaching the hospital, Hyungjoon remained in the waiting room with the children while Hyunjoong and Youngsaeng went to speak to a nurse. The doctors treating their friends soon joined them; there being a feeling of relief when they were told that Kyujong escaped with minor injuries but still needed to rest for a bit, yet panic when they were told that Jungmin was still in surgery as his injuries had been a bit more severe. Hyunjoong and Youngsaeng were led to Kyujong’s room to see him, just to see for themselves if he was alright really. With a few bumps and bruises, and a broken ankle which would heal in time, he was alright for the most part, though an oxygen mask was over his face for now and he would most likely have to use a cane to assist him along due to the broken ankle. His eyes, however, were full of sadness, guilt, and worry - and Hyunjoong knew straight away that he was blaming himself.

“Kyu; oh thank God you’re alright.” Youngsaeng burst out, rushing over and giving his partner a warm hug. Kyujong groaned slightly, leading Youngsaeng to quickly pull away before kissing his forehead.

“Sorry.” he whispered to which Kyujong gave him a slight smile before turning to Hyunjoong.

“Hyun, I’m so sorry - he was just trying to help me and I should have been more careful and I’m so sorry.” he immediately launched into an apology moving the mask off his face to speak.

“Don’t start that - it’s not your fault.” Hyunjoong immediately replied, giving him a pat on the shoulder. He breathed out, running his hand over his face as he stood against the wall.

“I was so worried for you.” Youngsaeng spoke up, looking back at his partner yet again.   

“I'm glad that I could see you again Saeng; you and Geun were on my mind the whole time. When my life was flashing before my eyes, you both were the most beautiful part of it.” KyuJong replied, swallowing slightly as emotion consumed him. Deciding to give the couple some time alone, Hyunjoong returned to the waiting room, only to be told that Jungmin was now out of surgery and had been transferred to the intensive care unit. Fearing for what he was about to see, Hyunjoong said a quick prayer to himself before following the doctor around the corner to the more critical unit.  As he made his way into the room where his partner was, a gasp escaped his lips and tears filled his eyes. This Jungmin that was laying on this bed now, was not his Jungmin. This Jungmin was in a sorry state; with bruises covering his face and an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. He was unconscious, his pale skin looking as though he was bound to be kissed by death at any second. A small sob escaped Hyunjoong’s lips as he stepped closer, enclosing his hand around the hand of his partner.

“Min, come back; I can't do this without you.”  He whispered in a bid to control his sobs, tears dropping down his cheeks as he sat himself down in the chair beside the bed. The only sound to be heard apart from the occasional sniffle was the beeping of the machines.

“I'm sorry again, leader.”

The voice caused Hyunjoong to jump and turn around, seeing Kyujong standing there with a cane in his hand whilst holding onto the IV fluid pole with his other hand. He gave a demure smile as he tried to keep his emotions in tact.

“This isn't your fault,” he sighed as he looked back at Jungmin, “I just want to find the driver who did this.”

“But-” Kyujong was about to respond again, before being cut off by the sound of the machine beeping slightly louder and faster. A few moments later, a couple nurses and a doctor rushed into the room; Kyujong still standing in the doorway whilst Hyunjoong remained at Jungmin’s bedside as they looked him over.

“Well - this is a miracle,” the doctor smiled as he wrote some notes on the chart for Jungmin, “He seems to be showing signs of semi-consciousness, which means it shouldn’t be too long until he’s awake again. He’s a strong guy.”

Hyunjoong smiled widely over at Kyujong, who gave the widest smile back as he made his way into the room. The two were overjoyed with the news as this was truly a miracle. Even though it was a small amount of progress, any sign of him coming back to them was better than no signs at all. A few moments later, a knock at the door caputred their attention, leading them to glance over at the door to see who was there. Wearing solemn expressions on their faces, the figures were their manager as well as Jungmin’s father. The manager wanted to talk to the remaining boys whom were awake, but Jungmin’s father wanted to speak to Kyujong first. Kyujong sighed out, glancing down at his feet before looking up at the face of his best friend’s father.

“I'm so sorry, samchon” Kyujong apologized, referring to the man as uncle as the boys were all so close and like brothers. The older man gave a slight smile, patting his shoulder.

“This isn’t your fault, son.” He reassured him. The manager watched the pair before turning to Hyunjoong, glancing between him and the unconscious figure of Jungmin lying in the bed.

“With Jungmin out of commission, what are we supposed to do about the band?” he snapped, his face like thunder as he looked between Kyujong and Hyunjoong.  

“Do you think that matters to me? How can you ask anything like that at this time?” Hyunjoong fired back at him straight away, “Honestly, he’s literally half dead and you’re worried about the band? Say something stupid like that again and I will fire you; I can’t be bothered with this right now!”.

“I understand that, but I’m just worried about how you guys are going to pay for all this.” the manager replied, only annoying Hyunjoong even further as he glared back at the man.

“We have money already; we’ll be fine - even if I have to figure this out myself.” he snapped back, breathing out as he looked back at Jungmin. Kyujong simply watched the exchange between the two agitated men and watched their manager storm out and mutter under his breath, causing him to feel even worse as he looked back up at Jungmin’s father yet again.

“Joesong haeyo.” he apologized once again, “It’s my fault.”

“How is it your fault son?” the older man asked with a curious expression on his face.

“I’ve should’ve seen the car coming.” Kyujong simply whispered, tears sliding down his cheeks. Jungmin’s father looped an arm around him, his shoulder to try and help him feel better.

“This isn’t your fault, son; please - it was only an accident.” he replied, trying to comfort the young man whom was starting to cry.

“Ne, I know,” Kyujong began through sobs, “I’ve could’ve kept him from danger, if i saw it coming.”

“You did the best you could Kyujong,” Jungmin’s father reassured the young man yet again, “My son is still alive thanks to you.”

“I know but I should have done better.” Kyujong sniffled a bit.

“We can't always predict the future son, so please, don’t blame yourself; I'm just glad to see my boy alive. I'm sure Jungmin  would agree.” Jungmin’s father told him, patting him on the shoulder. Kyujong smiled slightly, nodding his head. For the next hour, silence consumed everyone; Kyujong returned to his room whilst Hyunjoong remained in the room. He simply remained at his partner’s bedside, holding his hand whilst staring at him. He was desperate for him to wake up, to just see those eyes that he loved so much. He had said several prayers to himself, just praying for the young man to wake up as soon as possible as this was tearing him apart.

“Listen I know you're in there so just know I'm praying for you.” he whispered before dropping a light kiss onto Jungmin’s knuckles, all the while the young man remained none the wiser, lost in a land that was free from pain. Some moments later, everyone’s attention was captured by Hyungjoon finally wandering into the room with the children. Geun was quite upset as Jungmin was his uncle that he loved more than anything, but for Shura, this was a whole lot worse. This was her father laying in this bed, now clinging on to life by a thread. She was truly desperate for him to wake up as she just wanted everything to be okay again.

“They were desperate to see him; sorry.” Hyungjoon apologized, seeing the look of confusion on Hyunjoong’s face. He sighed slightly, nodding his head.

“It's alright; it's best they know about this anyway.” he remarked with a shrug of his shoulders. He looked up as Kyujong returned to the room, leading him to nod his head in his direction which led to the children and Hyungjoon looking over their shoulders. Geun gasped, letting go of his sister’s hand and rushing over to his father.

“I thought I heard voices in here, and plus, I wanted to check on Jungmin ah anyway.”  he spoke up, hugging his son into him.

“Appa, I’m so glad you’re okay.” Geun remarked, hugging his father carefully as he didn’t want to hurt him.” Kyujong hugged him back, kissing the top of his head.

“I’m fine son, but it’s your samchon you need to worry about.” he spoke up. Geun nodded his head, knowing that his father was right in saying they needed to focus on giving their prayers to his uncle right now. Kyujong sat down on the other chair on the other side of their bed, it seeming that they already had the same idea as they all joined hands. Their heads bowed, and Hyunjoong began speaking;

“Good Lord this family comes to you to ask for aid. Please restore our beloved Jungmin to us. We praise and glorify you -  Amen.”

“We needed that.” Kyujong remarked once they were finished. All four members of ss501 sat around Jungmin’s bed, with the Geun sitting in YoungSaeng’s lap and Shura in Hyunjoong’s lap. They decided to sing God Bless the Broken Road, a song by Rascal Flatts. The lyrics were so beautiful, and was a song they could use to tell their friends and lovers that they were indeed loved.

[Hyunjoong] I set out on a narrow way many years ago

Hoping I would find true love along the broken road

But I got lost a time or two

Wiped my brow and kept pushing through

I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you (he kisses Jungmin’s hand tenderly.)
 

[Youngsaeng, Kyujong, Hyungjoon, and Hyunjoong] Every long lost dream led me to where you are

Others who broke my heart they were like Northern stars

Pointing me on my way into your loving arms

This much I know is true

That God blessed the broken road

That led me straight to you

 

[Youngsaeng (he looks at Kyujong)] Yes He did. (He kisses his forehead gently)

 

[Kyujong] I think about the years I spent just passing through

I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you

But you just smile and take my hand

You've been there you understand

It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true. (Kisses his neck gently)

 

[Youngsaeng, Kyujong, hyungjoon, and Hyunjoong] Every long lost dream led me to where you are

Others who broke my heart they were like Northern stars

Pointing me on my way into your loving arms

This much I know is true

That God blessed the broken road

That led me straight to you

 

[Hyungjoon] Yeah..

 

[YoungSaeng] Now I'm just rolling home

Into my lover's arms

This much I know is true

That God blessed the broken road

That led me straight to you.

 

[Hyunjoong]

That God blessed the broken road

That led me straight to you.  

They continue to sing the song with Hyunjoong ending it. While their smiles were small, for a moment, they could forget that this was happening and that they were surrounded by such love. Hyunjoong continued holding Jungmin’s hand, his thumb over his skin.

“That was beautiful.” Hyunjoong remarked before thanking them all.   

“Yeah; we sound wonderful together don't we?” Youngsaeng agreed.

“I guess that's how it goes when you're in love.” KyuJong sighed out, squeezing Youngsaeng’s hand. Hyunjoong was about to respond with something else, before a light grunting sound met their ears. Their eyes darted to Jungmin, whose eyes were twitching slightly as more groans began escaping his lips. And in an instant, his eyes shot open. His breathing was quick, but as soon as he locked eyes with Hyunjoong, the panic settled and he realized, he was alright.

“You're awake; I can't believe it, you came back to me.” Hyunjoong breathed out, leaning over and hugging him gently.

“I was always going to come back to you, but right now, I just feel like I've been ran over by a truck.” Jungmin replied before giving a small smile as he received a kiss on the forehead. He then looked up again as Kyujong looked back at him, his eyes wracked with guilt. It was clear that he wanted to apologize, but Jungmin simply smiled at him. He knew that this wasn’t his fault; it wasn’t anyone’s fault. It had just been an accident.

“Jungmin ah, I'm so sorry.” Kyujong apologized.

“There's no reason to be sorry Kyu; it was just an accident.” Jungmin told him. Kyujong nodded his head, giving him a small smile. Jungmin smiled as well, before looking over to Hyunjoong as he began speaking.

“Now that that's settled, why don't we get the doctor.” Hyunjoong suggested.

“I'll get him.” Hyungjoon offered, making his way out of the room to find the doctor. After being looked over by the doctor, whom decided that he was fine for the most part, he allowed Jungmin to return home, though he was ordered to take it easy for the next month which meant no work. Once at home and settled, Shura decided to be his helper. She brought him his medicine and meals and drinks throughout the day, and by the evening, she cuddled into his side gently whilst reading to him whilst he listened happily with a smile on his face.

“Do you like my reading, appa?”  she asked, pausing from the children’s book to look up at him. Jungmin chuckled, nodding his head as he hugged her into him; whilst Hyunjoong was simply watching from his desk in the corner with a sweet smile on his face.

“I love it and you.” he sweetly replied, tapping her nose. A short while later, after finishing her book, Shura retreated to her room to turn in for the night as well. In her absence, Hyunjoong took this as an opportunity to snuggle into Jungmin’s side, planting sweet kisses onto his cheek as he took in the fact that his lover was still there and very much alive. It had been long day to say the least, but they still had each other, and everything would be okay. A couple rooms down, Youngsaeng was too enjoying that his lover was still very much alive and well; obviously in a much better state than Jungmin, but alive which was the most important as well. The two of them cuddled into each other, sharing a few kisses every now and then as they chatted away quietly.

“Jungmin ah is getting worse and worse by the day,and I feel bad for him having to put up with all the hate from the fans because they haven't seen him.” Youngsaeng remarked as they lay there. The two had been discussing Jungmin, as they were both very worried about him and wanted him to be okay.   

“We can talk the fans into believing that Jungmin’s better than he is though. Right now we have to focus on making their lives better.” Kyujong put his point across.

“That’s not fair, though; they need to respect that something is not right - he just doesn’t need this.” Youngsaeng retorted, sighing slightly as he lay there. Kyujong sighed slightly, kissing his lover’s forehead as they lay there.

“Tomorrow is the press conference; everything will be okay.” he whispered. Deciding not to press the issue further, Youngsaeng simply mumbled ‘Goodnight’ before closing his eyes, knowing that everyone needed their rest as tomorrow was truly going to be a long day.