Upset over his lapse, Kyuhyun didn't dare approach Yesung at his university again, making sure to feed properly leading up to the actual performance date so he wouldn't be tempted by the masses of people that would gather. Dressing casually and with sunglasses and a baseball cap on, Kyuhyun slipped into the hall with the other concert attendees and sat down, program in hand. Confused and worried when Yesung's name wasn't listed, Kyuhyun felt a bit trapped; the lighting was lowering and the program about to start so he couldn't leave without causing a major fuss.

What had happened? Had he gotten cold feet, not completed his music, or something else? His mind consumed with these worried thoughts, it took Kyuhyun a while to work out that Yesung's performance had started until he recognised the music they'd worked out and the man on stage. Kim Jongwoon the program said, but... that wasn't the name Yesung had given him. A bit stung at the knowledge, Kyuhyun remained silent and seated until Yesung's performance finished, then slipped out on the pretext of a bathroom break, intent on finding the young man to ask him about it.

Finding Yesung pacing nervously backstage (Kyuhyun hadn't been averse to using his pop star status and the promise of an autograph to get that far), Kyuhyun walked up to him and pulled him around to face him.

"Why didn't you tell me your name?" he asked, his voice sounding cold, even to him. Why it made any difference at all, Kyuhyun didn't even know himself but he'd trusted his identity to Yesung and hadn't been trusted in return, and that upset him. "I gave you mine and you knew who I was..."

Yesung had been in a panic the entire day of the concert, alternating between worrying he'd mess up and worrying something bad was going to happen. Even running around while setting up the hall couldn't keep the negative thoughts away, especially when one of the stage crew tripped over wiring right next to him and nearly took down the lighting. Thankfully set-up was completed without further complications, and just in time.

The music classes went up as groups in the beginning, but Yesung was in the back on the piano so he couldn't even see the audience, much less they see him. It helped calm his nerves a little though, remaining anonymous through the first three songs before he could go backstage and prepare for his solo.

Finally it was his turn. Drawing in a deep breath, Yesung strode out onto the stage and sat down at the piano, the sheet music in front of him. Closing his eyes for a moment, he waited for his cue then started to play. When he opened his mouth to sing, the microphone attached to his shirt collar projected his voice loud and clear across the hall. The rush of adrenaline that raced through him was indescribable. For the first time in ages, Yesung was able to forget about his curse and sing his heart out for the crowd in front of him.

All too soon it was over, Yesung barely remembering to bow before he scurried offstage. His teacher complimented him on his performance, the student turning pink with the praise before he was left alone again. After drinking a bit of water, Yesung took to pacing back and forth while waiting for the solos to end and the group endings to begin. The sudden hand on his shoulder make him yelp in surprise, whirling around with wide eyes. He hadn't heard anyone come backstage.

"Kyuhyun?" he exclaimed, surprised. He'd actually come... Yesung hadn't been sure he would. But anything he had been about to say died on the tip of his tongue at the vampire's words, or more specifically the tone of those words. He had the feeling he was in lots of trouble.

"You k-kind of took off before I could tell you?" Yesung winced, shifting nervously under that cold gaze. "Everyone calls me Yesung anyways, even the teachers, so I sort of forget I have another name, y'know? Um! I-I'm happy you came though. I added lyrics, were they alright? I wasn't sure about some parts but my room-mate told me to shut up and stop nitpicking when I asked him, so I don't know how it actually sounds..." He trailed off, biting his lower lip to keep himself from saying more.

Mollified by Yesung's explanation, Kyuhyun sighed. "Sorry about that," he apologised, his voice calmer. "I hadn't fed that day and got really hungry and had to leave before... I did something stupid..."

A little sheepish, he smiled faintly. "Your performance was amazing. Your music was definitely the highlight..." Kyuhyun continued, patting Yesung's shoulder. "I only came to see you so... I should probably go, but..."

At a loss for what to say now that he'd managed to make a complete fool out of himself by being angry at Yesung instead of happy for him, Kyuhyun looked at the ground. "I came by car today since I wasn't sure if I could handle being around so many people, especially if they recognised me..." He just hoped he hadn't managed to get boxed in or anything like that; having to wait for a long time to get out of the crush of people and he would go crazy.

"But I'm glad I came to see you, even if I didn't know your real name before. It was amazing and it's a bit of a shame... I can't introduce you to my producer, Kim Seunghyun. He'd love you for sure..." he finished, shoving his hands in his pockets. "But then again, we'd end up competing against each other and I don't know if I could stand the competition..." Kyuhyun couldn't resist teasing Yesung a little.

Yesung relaxed slightly when the cold anger left Kyuhyun's eyes. He winced again though at the reason why Kyuhyun had taken off so fast that night. It was easy to imagine what could have happened and the thought sent chills down his spine. He didn't want to think of Kyuhyun attacking one of his fellow students (or Yesung himself).

A smile quirked his lips upward when Kyuhyun complimented his solo, going slightly pink again.

"Thank you," he murmured, not knowing what else to say. Kyuhyun was an amazing singer, so knowing that he had liked Yesung's performance made the student want to jump around like a child in delight. For the first time since he'd met the vampire, he didn't flinch away when Kyuhyun patted his shoulder.

Blinking, he couldn't help but release a short husky laugh at the teasing, going from pink to red. "What competition? You'd wipe the floor with me," he said, grinning sheepishly. There was just no comparison between them.

"Ah... before you leave..." Yesung shifted from one foot to the other, nervous again. "Maybe we could meet up one day?" he blurted out. "So the coffee idea was a bad idea... we could play games, or something..." He wasn't as wary around the vampire anymore... or at least had stopped asking if he was going to be eaten.

Chuckling lightly, Kyuhyun knew Yesung had no idea just how good he really was otherwise he wouldn't have said that and it made him sad that Yesung underestimated himself so much. What did they teach people these days? It certainly wasn't confidence. He was startled by Yesung's next comment.

"Games?" he asked, unsure he'd heard Yesung correctly. "I'm not sure you could keep up with me..." Kyuhyun gave a wry chuckle. "But you're welcome to try. I'm free tomorrow, since my recording engineer is out on holidays for a while and my producer is busy elsewhere..."

Wondering if he was making a mistake in agreeing to this, but still strangely attracted to Yesung and taking any excuse to see him again, Kyuhyun smiled hesitantly.

"You do remember where I live, don't you?" he asked, then remembered he actually had a business card (for once) and gave it to Yesung, writing his address on the back. "Remember, no screaming fans..." he teased, stepping away.

"I'd better go before I get recognised... I had to promise one of the stagehands an autograph before they'd let me back here to see you."

There was no way he was arguing with that. Yesung ended up commiting virtual suicide more often than not in any video game.

"I'm positive I can't keep up with you, but it's fun to try," he said, smiling. Tomorrow night... what was he doing tomorrow night? He wasn't working, having taken a few days off... which meant he was free.

"I think I remember..." he trailed off when Kyuhyun pulled out a business card, scribbling his address on it before handing it to the human. "That would be helpful," he chuckled, looking down at the card. Flipping to the front, he noted the different contact information.

Glancing up at Kyuhyun again, Yesung nodded. "No fans, got it," he agreed then laughed. "Being famous sounds a little troublesome. Go, go, before word gets out." He pushed playfully at the vampire's shoulder.

"Jongwoon!" called one of the stagehands, making Yesung jump. "Oh, I guess I'm back on. Have a safe ride home!" He waved and took off for where the other students waiting to go on were, nearly tripping over a loose wire.

Grinning, Kyuhyun couldn't help but wonder just who needed the safety wishes more, him or Yesung. "It is," he mumbled to nobody in particular as he disappeared down the hall to the relative safety of his car, buckling up and driving out of the lot ahead of a few others who seemed to have the same ideas he did about getting caught in the madness that would be post-concert rush hour.

Pulling out into the main traffic, Kyuhyun smiled to himself as he drove, unable to stop himself from feeling a little hopeful after so long. Yesung seemed to be warming up to him and actually willing to spend time with him without being stalked into it (much) and it made Kyuhyun's smile grow.

Caught in the inside lane, he sighed as a truck's headlights came into view behind him going way too fast for his comfort. Relieved when the truck passed him, that relief turned to horror when the insane lunatic cut him off, sideswiping his car and forcing Kyuhyun off the road. His car flipped in the air a few times before coming to rest on its side with Kyuhyun dangling from his seatbelt and unconscious. A siren heard in the distance, police, fire trucks, and an ambulance pulled up within minutes of the accident, the damage so extensive that the firefighters had to cut Kyuhyun from the wreckage of his car. The young man looked dead already, despite the faint pulse.

Television crews showed up minutes later as news spread that a young Korean pop star had been seriously injured in an accident, though the emergency crews did their best to keep them away from the badly injured vampire. Convinced he'd die anyway, the ambulance crews took off with Kyuhyun in the back and heading directly for the nearest hospital, frantic as the slow pulse grew even weaker with every passing moment.

One of them saw Kyuhyun's phone poking out from the young man's pocket and amazingly undamaged, flipping through the address book in search of an emergency contact. The only number actually in the phone's memory was Yesung's, Kyuhyun having found the paper with his number on it and adding it a few days after he'd bolted from Yesung's apartment. He left it for the hospital secretary to call to let him know of the accident as the E.R. doctors worked to save the young vampire's life.

The rest of the concert passed unhindered, Yesung playing the piano for a few songs and background vocals for a few more before everyone returned to stage for curtain call. The applause from the crowd was overwhelming, and he nearly forgot to bow before the girl beside him grabbed his hand and yanked him into one.

It was another hour after the crowd left before Yesung could return to his dorm room, flopping onto the bed with a groan of exhaustion. Packing always seemed harder than setting up, and even with three of them wheeling that piano back into the music room, his arms felt like jelly. He soon discovered lying down had been a bad idea because he needed to get up and take a shower or something, but the relief of having finished the concert in one piece as well as exhaustion from several sleepless nights was quickly pulling him under.

The loud blast of music from his phone woke Yesung again maybe only a few minutes after he'd fallen asleep, the student flailing and falling out of bed with a yelp. As his room-mate laughed at him, Yesung sat up and pulled the phone out of his pocket, checking the number. It wasn't one he recognized... maybe a prank caller? He hated those since it was always his number they chose to call.

Nevertheless he answered the call, pressing the phone to his ear. "Yeoboseyo?"

"Is this Yesung-sshi?"

The voice was unfamiliar. Yesung blinked several times. "Yes, this is. Who is this?"

"This is Kim Sanyoon from Seoul General Hospital. Are you familiar with a Cho Kyuhyun-sshi?"

The hospital... Kyuhyun. "Y-yes, I am..." His room-mate shut up at the tremor in Yesung's voice.

"I'm sorry, but Cho Kyuhyun-sshi has been in a serious car accident. As you're the only one listed in his contacts, I have to inform you of this."

"...What?" He couldn't be hearing right. Kyuhyun was a vampire. Vampires couldn't be in car accidents... wasn't there some sort of unwritten rule that vampires were indestructible? How could he be... "Is he... is he alright?" Yesung managed to choke out. Kyuhyun had been right there, not even two hours ago. How could this have happened?

It couldn't have been...

He was so choked up he nearly missed the secretary's reply. "He's in ER still, in critical condition. I'm sorry, it doesn't look too good."

Squeezing his eyes shut, Yesung clenched one shaking hand. "Thank you for letting me know," he whispered. "Goodbye." He hung up, sitting there for a long moment before leaping to his feet, snatching up his shoes and pulling them on before opening the door.

"Hey, where are you going?" called his room-mate.

"Hospital," was Yesung's reply as he closed the door behind him.

Even by running and taking the fastest public transit available, it was 30 minutes before Yesung arrived outside the hospital doors. Running inside, he looked around for the ER waiting room and headed straight there. A quick question with the secretary and one of the doctors confirmed Kyuhyun was still inside. Sinking down into one of the seats in the waiting room, Yesung swallowed past the lump in his throat and waited.

Some hours later, the doctor in charge of Kyuhyun's care approached Yesung warily, sighing. This wasn't going to be easy by any means.

"Yesung-sshi?" he asked, pulling off his blood-spattered mask and bowing awkwardly in greeting. "You're here about Cho Kyuhyun-sshi, yes?" Pulling up a nearby chair, he sat opposite Yesung and considered the young man thoughtfully.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this but it's not looking very good for him right now. He's lost a lot of blood, though we've given him many transfusions to try and get things going again. There's also been a considerable amount of serious injuries; his hip is broken, as well as a few ribs, which punctured a lung, causing it to collapse. He also has head injuries caused by smashing it against the metal frame of the car, as well as from glass from the windows."

Still another sigh. "I guess what I'm saying is just be prepared that he won't make it..." Clearing his throat, the doctor stood up. "The next few days will tell.... and if you'd like to see him, I can arrange that for you..."

The more time that passed, the more anxious Yesung became, his hands clenching and unclenching. He hated hospitals. Every time he was here, it felt like a weight against his chest, because he never knew if his very presence was worsening the condition of those here. If someone died while he was nearby... it could very well be him who caused the death. It wasn't something he could ever forgive himself for.

And now, he might have even caused Kyuhyun's accident. The thought caused the back of his eyes to burn, and his throat to close. It didn't matter if Kyuhyun was a vampire... he was nice, and didn't deserve something like this. No one did... but especially not Kyuhyun.

Seeing the doctor approach him, Yesung straightened and paled at the blood staining the other man's white coat and mask. The expression he wore wasn't reassuring either. Listening to his words, Yesung reminded himself to keep breathing, his hands clenched into fists so tightly there would be fingernail marks in his palms for a while. Kyuhyun had to make it... he had to. If not... it would be all Yesung's fault.

"I'd like to see him, please," he said quietly, standing up. Being anywhere near Kyuhyun now... it would be dangerous for the vampire, but he just wanted a moment. Just a moment to look at him and pray he would be alright. Then he'd leave and continue praying from afar where his bad luck couldn't hurt anyone.

Nodding as if he'd expected it, the doctor sighed. "I'll be just a moment, then someone will be out to show you where to go..." he said, then disappeared back through the doors he'd come from a few minutes before to finish up so Yesung could see Kyuhyun.

He had no idea what these two men were to each other, nor did he care, but it was obvious they seemed to be good friends and it was painful to see the devastation a death brought to friends and family. There was still hope, however slim, that the young pop star would recover, so the doctor concentrated on that thought as he washed up and changed, sending a nurse out to show Yesung to the ICU room where Kyuhyun lay, pale and lifeless-looking, and hooked up to a respirator.

Nodding to Yesung, the nurse left him alone in the room with Kyuhyun to do whatever he wanted to do for as long as was necessary; she'd seen this all too often as it was to be surprised by anything anyone did any more.

Yesung waited anxiously, feeling a lead weight in his stomach. He shouldn't have agreed to Kyuhyun attending his performance. He should have never talked to him backstage. Should have, should have... the thought wouldn't leave his head. It had been foolish to thing he could hang around Kyuhyun more without the bad luck transferring like it always did.

When a nurse appeared and motioned for him to follow, Yesung did so without a word, trying not to look at the rooms they passed by. He didn't want to see who else was stuck in here. As they reached the room Kyuhyun was in, Yesung very nearly didn't enter. He wasn't sure if he would be able to handle what he would see.

Finally walking in, the student stared at Kyuhyun, lying so motionless on the bed. Barely even noticing the nurse leave, Yesung swallowed and walked cautiously to the side of the bed, looking down at him. The steady beeping from the monitors brought the prickle of tears back into his eyes.

"There should be some sort of rule against vampires getting into car accidents," he spoke. There was no reply, not that he'd expected one. "You... you can't die, you hear me? Not after everything you've done to get here. It couldn't have been easy." Yesung hesitantly touched Kyuhyun's hand, the skin too cold.

"This is my fault," he whispered and the tears finally fell. "I'm sorry, Kyu. Maybe it really wasn't a good idea for us to meet... though not for the reasons you think."

He sat down in the chair beside the bed, just listening to the beeping of the monitors and watching the slow rise and fall of the vampire's chest. "Don't die." His voice was shaky. "Please don't die."

That was all he said for the longest time, just sitting there and letting the tears fall into his lap. Finally he got up to leave, knowing the longer he stayed, the worse he would make it.

"Be strong, Kyuhyun..."

Yesung squeezed the vampire's hand lightly... then he wasn't sure what made him do it, but he leaned in and pressed a light kiss to Kyuhyun's forehead. Straightening, he drew in a shaky breath and let go of the limp hand, turning away and forcing himself to walk out of that room. He couldn't come back... he couldn't put Kyuhyun in any more danger.