“Min…” Yunho blinked against the tears, fighting hard against the sobs that he so badly wanted to release. “Min, you have to be strong. She needs you.”

Changmin remained slumped against the wall, curled into a ball by a row of chairs. His handsome face was twisted in a mixture of grief, agony and regret as tears swam down his cheeks. His favourite hyung remained kneeling in front of him, a reassuring and comforting hand on his shoulder. On either side of him sat Kyuhyun and Minho, battling all emotions they felt to keep their best friend strong and sane.

“Why her…” He managed to croak out, staring helplessly at his friends. “Why her?”

                Any reply they meant to make was cut off as a distinctly tortured like sob reached all their ears. Seohyun remained cradled in Yonghwa’s arms as she wept bitterly. The CN Blue frontman had already lifted her out of her seat and settled her on his lap in hopes of helping her calm down but to no avail. Tiffany occupied the seat she vacated; a hand rubbing the maknae’s back comfortingly as the other covered in an attempt to stifle her own cries. The two exchanged a helpless look above Seohyun’s head as she stayed a wrecked mess in Yonghwa’s arms.

Kyuhyun smiled sadly; a single tear falling from his eyes. “You know that she’ll sacrifice herself for any of us.”

o-o-o-o-o

                Choi Sooyoung laid unconscious in the hospital bed; the angelic, peaceful look on her face betraying what led her there. She appeared to be sleeping but they all knew she wasn’t going to wake up anytime soon. That was what the doctor said. In the midst of her efforts to keep Seohyun from falling of the stage, Sooyoung lost her footing, only managing to push her dongsaeng away from the edge before she fell. Severe head trauma and swelling had caused her to be the way she was on the bed, unmoving and unresponsive.

                Changmin drew the chair closer to her bed before he took a seat, taking her lifeless arm gingerly in his as he took in all the machines connected to her body. Cuts and bruises marred her flawless face and limbs and he hated the thought of how much pain she felt. He hated himself for not being there to save her. He wasn’t even in the same damn country when the accident occurred. Tears fell once more and he didn’t even bother to wipe them off. He was alone in the room with her; Heechul asserting firmly to everyone else that the DBSK maknae should get to see Sooyoung first… alone.

“I’m so sorry, Soo…” His voice cracked with so much despair. “I’m so sorry.”

Then, the most heart breaking sob escaped his lips as he cried for the one woman he would ever love.

o-o-o-o-o

“Min…” Boa spoke softly as she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder as soon as he woke up. “You should go home and rest. Some of us can watch over her for the meantime.”

“She might wake up.” He shook his head. “I want to be here when she wakes up, noona.”

Boa exchanged a look with Yunho; the two not having the heart to tell him that she may never wake up.

o-o-o-o-o

“I know being an idol is tiring…” Changmin began softly, carefully bringing up her limp hand to his cheek. “But don’t you think you’re sleeping too much already?”

It was the third night in the hospital. Her parents and sister had been escorted home by Siwon and Leeteuk. Changmin had stayed, firmly informing everyone that he was to stay in the hospital until she opened her eyes once more. That prompted everyone else to come up with some sort of shifting duty to watch over Sooyoung and even Changmin. He didn’t think it was necessary but he humoured them enough.

His eyes drifted to the row of seats at the back of the room that served as the temporary and uncomfortable beds of Jessica, Amber and Key. “It’s their turn to watch over us tonight… Don’t you think it’s funny, Soo? I tried telling them you won’t appreciate people hovering you but they just won’t have it. They’re worried about you… We all are.”

Pressing a soft kiss to the back of her hand, he let out a shaky breath. “I love you. Hold on to that. Believe in that.”

o-o-o-o-o

“Soo, did you hear what the doctor said?” With so much hope on his face, Changmin spoke to Sooyoung, not caring that everyone in the room could hear everything. “You’re condition is stable already. All you need to do is open your eyes! What are you waiting for, Soo?”

Taeyeon blinked back the tears as she and the rest of SNSD and Yunho watched the DBSK maknae shake Sooyoung’s arm as if he was trying to wake her up. “Oppa…”

“Soo…” He whispered so brokenly, carefully pulling away from her. “Why won’t you wake up?”

He was out of his seat and out of the door before anyone had the chance to stop him; Yunho soon running out the room with Yoona hot on his heels. He knew he had promised that he’d never leave her side but he just couldn’t take it anymore.

It hurt too much.

o-o-o-o-o

“Yah, Sooyoungie!” Yunho and Changmin froze mid-step on their way back to Sooyoung’s room. It had been a week since the accident and the older DBSK member had managed to get his dongsaeng to leave her side for five minutes to go for a short walk and grab a cup of coffee. Neither of them expected anyone to arrive in the room before they could.

“I thought you hated hospitals, Youngie!” The voice inside the room went on to speak. “Open your eyes and let’s get out of here!”

Identical looks of shock crossed both their faces before they made a mad dash for the door; Yunho suddenly stopping Changmin before he could reach for the doorknob. Through the glass pane of the door they saw Jaejoong, Yoochun and Junsu all surrounding Sooyoung’s bed. Junsu had occupied the chair Changmin previously vacated; tears streaming down his cheeks. Yoochun and Jaejoong stood by the feet of the bed; the younger of the two crying silently while the other stared into space, looking more lost than he had ever been.

“Think of Min, Soo. Think of Min.” Jaejoong lowered his head, shielding his tears from view. “He loves you so much.”

It was then that the five DBSK boys reunited. A happy occasion a reunion should be but the sole fact that Sooyoung wasn’t awake to witness it broke their already broken hearts.

o-o-o-o-o

                It was only a week after everything had taken place did Sungmin find the guts to visit his best friend. He was the one who took it the hardest, not wanting a comatose Sooyoung to tarnish his lively and bright image of her. With Kyuhyun holding one hand and Ryeowook holding another, he cautiously stepped inside the room. Changmin had relented his seat as the Super Junior member sat down, in a sharp breath as he took in the sight of his best friend.

“I didn’t want to see you like this.” He whispered. “But Heechul hyung reminded me that I was your best friend and I shouldn’t be leaving you behind.”

                Ryeowook placed his hands on his shoulders in support while Kyuhyun had stood beside his best friend by the foot of the bed. The three men watched as Sungmin finally shed the tears that he once refused to in denial of what had happened to Sooyoung. He cried openly, partly in hopes that she would somehow hear him.

“But damn it, Soo. You shouldn’t leave me behind too, understand?”

o-o-o-o-o

                Sooyoung had been in the hospital for the past nine days and still nothing changed. It was completely nothing though as her scars and bruises healed slowly but it was not enough. Changmin had fought hard to have enough strength for himself and for Sooyoung but as more days passed all of them by, he faltered little by little.

“Min, you need to eat.” Leeteuk reminded him, glancing at the untouched food on the bedside table. “You need to keep your strength up.”

“I’m not hungry, hyung.”

Donghae sighed helplessly. “She’s not going to like it if she finds out you’re not eating.”

Changmin remained unfazed. “She’s not here.”

“Listen to me and listen to me well, Shim Changmin.” Jaejoong finally got up from his chair and marched towards where the maknae was, lifting him up by the collar of his shirt before pointing to Sooyoung. “She’s here. She might not be awake but she’s right there, you idiot. She could’ve died but she’s still breathing. She’s fighting, Min. So you don’t have a right to give up when she’s fighting for her life.”

o-o-o-o-o

                Changmin felt himself slowly stirring awake at the soft melody that reached his ears. He remained where he was; his eyes closed as he listened to the soft feminine voice singing. It surely wasn’t Sooyoung’s but it was a voice that he could place quite well. Seohyun had volunteered to stay behind with him that day, taking up the chair on the other side. He had thought that she had fallen asleep way before he did but obviously he thought wrong. He stayed silent, doing his best to act like he was still sleeping. Seohyun probably believed it as she continued singing.

That’s what friends are for.

                He knew by the often times she paused to sniff that she was crying. He knew she felt guilty for what had happened to Sooyoung and Changmin fought against his protectiveness of the girl he loved to avoid blaming Seohyun. As much as he hoped, wished and prayed that none of this happened to Sooyoung, he couldn’t bring himself to think of what could have happened if Seohyun was the one that fell. He wouldn’t wish the kind of agony he felt on Yonghwa or on anyone else.

So as Seohyun’s breathing became more erratic and her voice cracked as she sang, Changmin allowed himself to cry once more.

o-o-o-o-o

                Changmin had grown accustomed to the chair now. ‘He became one with it,’ as Eunhyuk would jokingly say. He no longer woke up feeling every inch of his body screaming in pain. He would often wake up the way he would as if he was home in his bed and not on a steel chair. So he knew that it wasn’t why he was suddenly jolted from his sleep. He felt a hand lightly shaking his arm, trying to get him wake up. He lifted his head slightly from where he rested it on his arm and searched for Seohyun.

She wasn’t there.

                A gasp escaped his lips; Changmin now more awake than ever. Daring himself to finally look at the bed, his eyes went wide as a pair of warm chocolate brown eyes met his gaze. He blinked over and over, making sure he wasn’t seeing things because heaven knows he wouldn’t able to take it if he were.

“Hi.” Sooyoung smiled sleepily. “I missed you.”